ROMNEY, W.Va. — An alert fire chief managed to save one life when he noticed a fire early Saturday morning. The blaze was burning in the upstairs apartment of a two story apartment unit on Bolton Street in Romney.
Dustin Amtower, Chief of the New Creek Volunteer Fire Department, was on his way to work. Amtwower is a paid fireman for the city of Winchester, Va. He radioed the county dispatch center to report the blaze, then jumped into action.
“He was able to wake the people in the downstairs apartment and get them out,” said Romney Volunteer Fire Department Chief G.T. Parsons. “He couldn’t get into the upstairs apartment due to the heat and smoke.”
Members of the Romney Volunteer Fire Department managed to make it into the apartment and recovered a victim who was already dead. The state Fire Marshal’s Office identified the victim Sunday as Wayne Levon Method, 74, of Romney.
“We kept it contained to the kitchen and living room area of the apartment,” said Parsons. “It looked like it started in the kitchen.”
The West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating a cause which they say does not appear to be suspicious.