GRAFTON, W.Va. — Investigators are trying to determine what started a fire in downtown Grafton Friday that destroyed three buildings and damaged three others.
The blaze began in an vacant commercial building on West Main Street at shortly after 6 a.m. Grafton Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Roberts said the flames spread quickly to two adjoining buildings, which were also vacant.
“All three of those buildings were a total loss,” Roberts told MetroNews.
He said the age of the buildings caused them to burn quickly.
“There was a lot of dried material, old buildings, they had fire walls between them but they were all in a row,” Roberts said.
Buildings on either side sustained moderate damage. A restaurant across the street sustained heat damage.
An excavator was being used to tear down the three buildings by Friday evening.
Roberts said it was mostly a defensive fire.
“We went to defensive operation due to the age of the buildings. They weren’t occupied and there was nothing in them,” he said.
Grafton city police and the state Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating a possible cause. There were injuries.
Roberts said the help the Grafton Fire Department received from six other departments was tremendous.
“We couldn’t do it without everybody,” he said.
Crews from Flemington, Bridgeport, Valley, Fellowsville, Nutter Fort and Philippi were on the scene.