HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — It was a busy weekend for the Huntington Fire Department. Firemen responded to fires in four structures in three separate locations in Huntington over the course of three days. All of those fires were in abandoned houses or buildings and were known problems for the department.
“We were aware of all of them,” said Huntington Fire Marshal Matt Winters.
According to Winters, although the investigation is still ongoing, it’s likely the same scenario was the case in all three situations. He speculated squatters were inside seeking shelter and built a fire to keep warm. However, the fire quickly got out of control aided by the condition of the buildings.
“It’s not uncommon to see warming fires lit in an unsafe manner. Once you have all of those windows broken out and that wind picks up, the minute they leave it unattended it can very quickly escalate,” said Winters.
Nobody was injured in the fires, but Winters noted it always puts first responders at a higher risk.
“We always assume somebody might be inside and if they can do a primary search and make sure nobody is in there, they absolutely will do that to make sure nobody’s life is at risk. However, on the flip side that puts us at a higher risk,” he explained.
Winters said fire fighters are six times more likely to be hurt in a fire in an abandoned building than an occupied one. A Charleston fire fighter was injured in recent days while searching for possible victims inside a burning abandoned home. The second floor of the building collapsed on top of him.
In Huntington, city and fire department leaders encourage residents to use the Huntington 311 app to report nuisance problems with abandoned buildings.
“That way we have the constant reminder these need to be looked at. With them on that app we have multiple departments looking at them from code enforcement, to building inspector, to the fire marshal’s office,” said Winters.
All three structures which caught fire over the weekend were on the city’s list to be considered for demolition, but were going through the lengthy and often cumbersome process to be torn down. After the fire, at least one of the buildings will have to be razed since it was left structurally unsound by the fire.