CLAY, W.Va. — Firefighters from three companies have battled a blaze in the town of Clay since mid morning.
The fire broke out at an apartment building on the city’s main street about 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Several people lived in the home, but all indications are those inside made it out safely.
“There was flame shooting out the backside, the front side, and the windows and there was fire shooting out of the roof,” said Timothy Ferrebee with Black Diamond Power.
Ferrebee was called to the scene to cut off electricity to the building which was formerly a church converted into apartments.
“There were either five or seven apartments in the building, and I’m pretty sure every apartment had somebody livign in it,” he said.
The tenants included several families with small children. A couple of those living there had infant children, other children were at school as the fire burned. All of the residents of the building escaped, but Ferrebbee said it was a nasty fire and there is nothing left.
“I can’t imagine what was going through their head. In this fire they lost everything they had and for right now have no place to go,” he said.
Crews from the Clay, Big Otter, and Clendenin Volunteer Fire Departments responded to the blaze.
A cause for the fire remains under investigation.