UPDATE: 12/29/17
CRAIGSVILLE, W.Va. — Services for Craigsville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tim Blake have been announced.
Nicholas County Sheriff William Nunley announced Thursday a wake is scheduled for Monday, January 1 from 5 until 8 in the evening. A funeral service will be held the following day at 1 in the afternoon.
Both will be held at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Craigsville.
Following Tuesday’s funeral service will be a processional to Memorial Gardens in Calvin. Residents in that area should expect delays, Sheriff Nunley said.
Original 12/27/17:
CRAIGSVILLE, W.Va. — Tim Blake, the longtime chief at the Craigsville Volunteer Fire Department, was pronounced dead after a traffic crash Wednesday on state Route 55 in Nicholas County.
Nicholas County Sheriff’s Dept.
Tim Blake
Authorities believe Blake, 48, may have suffered a heart attack before the accident near Boone Hill Road. He was driving a wrecker service vehicle at the time.
Blake had been a member of the Craigsville VFD since 1987, the last 23 years as chief.
“The community here is at a loss because of his death,” Summersville Fire Department Chief Rodney Snodgress said. “Everyone here knew him and respected him. They knew that Tim was somebody they could count on should they have any type of emergency or just needed help.”
The community and others who knew him are mourning his death including West Virginia Third District Congressman Evan Jenkins.
“Please join me in sending condolences & prayers to Chief Blake’s family and firefighters during this difficult time,” Jenkins tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
The Pinch Volunteer Fire Department is helping cover the Craigsville area.