Fires destroy two homes Sunday

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

Separate fires destroyed two Wythe County homes Sunday. One rekindled early Monday morning bringing crews and equipment back to the scene.
According to Wytheville Fire Chief Ronnie King, firefighters responded to a call around 6:50 p.m. Sunday at 2522 Grayson Turnpike Road (U.S. 21 south). They were assisted by members of the Speedwell Volunteer Fire Department.
“Fire was coming out the roof when we got there,” King stated. “We were able to rescue two cats from the burning house.”
He attributed the cause of fire to an electrical short. The fire, he said, began in a wall closet.
King reported the owner of the house as Jerry Brent who was renting the property to an elderly woman. He said the tenant was out of the house by the time 13 firefighters and two pumper trucks from the Wytheville Fire Department arrived.
One of the firemen, King noted, suffered a cut to the nose. He was treated at the scene, according to the chief.
The Wythe County Rescue Squad was onsite, too. Officers from the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office directed traffic.
Eight firefighters and three pieces of equipment from the Speedwell unit also assisted. Crews remained at the scene around three hours.
In almost a replay from Sunday night, the Wytheville Fire Department was called back to the scene around 6:50 a.m. Monday. Speedwell Volunteer Fire Department members also assisted.
A drop tank, King said, was used to provide water for the department. Placed on the main road, the device was filled with water pumped from the creek near Evergreen United Methodist Church by the Speedwell unit, the chief noted.
King stated the water from the drop tank – which can hold up to 2,500 gallons of water—was then pumped to the fire by a truck from the Wytheville Fire Department. The procedure, he said, resulted in the closing of a section of Grayson Turnpike Road and rerouting of traffic onto Winding Road.
Crews remained at the fire scene for three hours.
A Sunday morning fire destroyed the double wide home of a member of the Barren Springs Volunteer Fire Department and his wife. It occurred around 11:15 a.m. on Bertha Farms Road.
According to Barren Springs Fire Chief Curt Crawford, Jeffrey McNeely and his wife were not at home at the time. A neighbor noticed the fire and called for help.
“I was the first on the scene,” Crawford reported. “The kitchen was already burning. That’s where it started. It was probably electrical.”
Around 14 firefighters and four trucks from the Barren Springs Volunteer Fire Department also responded. They were assisted by the Ivanhoe Volunteer Fire Department.
Chief Crawford reported one of the firefighters suffered exhaustion during the initial assault. He pointed out that isn’t uncommon since firefighters carry heavy equipment including air packs and hose into extreme heat.
“He came out and rested,” Crawford said. “He was given some oxygen and went back in.”
Members of the Lead Mines Volunteer Rescue Squad were on the scene, too.
The contents of a couple of rooms were salvageable, Crawford said, but most of the house was destroyed. He reported firefighters put holes in the roof to let the smoke escape.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .