Fire Destroys Belmont County Mill
By BETTY J. POKAS For the News-Register
POSTED: February 25, 2008
Flames destroyed a sawmill in Belmont County’s Wheeling Township and damaged a home in Dilles Bottom over the weekend.
Seven fire departments involved in the county tanker task force aided the Lafferty Volunteer Fire Department in battling an early Saturday morning fire at the sawmill on the Steve Vcelka farm. There are no fire hydrants in that area.
The Shadyside Volunteer Fire Department fought a Sunday afternoon blaze at the home of Rhonda Thompson and her three children in Dilles Bottom. Shadyside Assistant Fire Chief John Shaver said the living room in the frame home was gutted, and there was smoke damage throughout the house.
Despite the lack of hydrants near the Vcelka farm, located on Barylak Road (Wheeling Township 275), firefighters were able to keep the blaze from spreading to the family’s home and dairy farm, stacks of lumber, a corn crib and a barn full of hay.
The fire at the sawmill was fully involved when the Lafferty Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene.
“It had a really good start,î said Lafferty Assistant Fire Chief Jay Greenwood. The blaze was discovered about 5:28 a.m. Saturday by a passerby.
Two diesel fuel tanks also were in that area, and Greenwood said the smaller one, containing 275 gallons of diesel fuel, didn’t explode but the pressure inside ruptured the tank and this fueled the fire to some degree.
Sitting right beside the full, 275-gallon tank was a 500-gallon tank, but it didn’t rupture. Greenwood said the larger tank was about three-fourths full.
The cause of the sawmill fire is undetermined, and a representative from the state fire marshal’s office was on the scene during the weekend. The assistant chief said he hasn’t seen a report from the fire marshal’s office as yet.
Helping on the scene of the sawmill fire, in addition to the Lafferty department, were Flushing, Moorefield Township, New Athens, Morristown, Belmont, Bethesda and Cumberland Trail fire departments as well as the task force coordinator from the Cumberland Trail department.
Greenwood said most of the departments brought their tankers to assist in providing water to battle the flames. The last department left the scene about 10:30 a.m.
At the Dilles Bottom fire, Shaver said the firefighters were able to get the blaze under control very quickly. A fire hydrant was located in the front yard at the burning home.
It is believed that the cause of the house fire was electrical.
Shaver said the Thompson family was able to get out of the home without any problem. Firefighters were on the scene for about two hours.
