West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency for Wood County on July 5 after a massive fire broke out at the Peoples Cartage warehouse in Parkersburg.
The emergency declaration enables state agencies to mobilize all available resources to assist local response efforts, protect public safety, and respond to any potential environmental impacts from the fire.
Morrisey said efforts to extinguish the blaze are still ongoing at the industrial storage warehouse and that the state had sought assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency, which has deployed additional air monitoring equipment. The warehouse holds stores of plastics and cardboard.
“Protecting the people of Wood County and supporting the brave first responders on the scene are our top priorities,” Morrisey said in a statement.
Details surrounding the warehouse fire remain limited. Morrisey said authorities are still investigating what caused the fire.
According to the governor, environmental officials are evaluating potential impacts from firefighting runoff into the nearby Little Kanawha River. Plastic materials can produce toxic smoke and other byproducts when burned.
He called on residents to stay away from the area while firefighting operations are still ongoing.
“People should know that we are taking this incident seriously and approaching it with an abundance of caution,” the governor said.
