Jan. 30, 2004 – A single-story wooden building in lower Contant burned to the ground Friday morning about 11 a.m. There were no injuries.
The building was unoccupied at the time, Fire Service spokesman Donald Charles said on a WVWI Radio noon newscast. An investigation into the cause is ongoing, Charles said, but an extension cord reaching from the burned dwelling to a house across the street may have been responsible for the blaze, if it supplied more current than the dwelling could handle.
Three Fire Service units responded to the call in about 15 minutes. Charles said they were hampered by the narrow road leading to the building. Charles said there were additional problems with equipment at the scene, including hose fittings.
Daryl George, firefighters union local president, said the blaze was handled by seven or eight firemen. "There should have been 10 or 12 with a fire of that magnitude," he said.
"They are supposed to get a break after they go into a burning building; that's the fire-safety law," he said.
Asked if the fire could have been put out sooner if the Dorothea Fire Station were open, George said, no, the fire's site fell under the downtown command district.
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