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.
Peoples Cartage CEO Doug Sibila told local news agency WTAP that the fire first broke out at around 10.40 a.m. on July 4 and was quickly brought under control by both the local fire department and the warehouse’s fire suppression systems.
Sibila said that a stringent fire watch was maintained throughout the day and overnight, but the fire reignited early the next day.
He noted that the fire caused significant damage to the warehouse, although the full extent of the damage has not yet been determined. No injuries have been reported from the blaze so far.
“The safety of our employees, our customers, our neighbors, and our community is our highest priority. We take that responsibility seriously and are committed to handling this matter with full transparency.”
Morrisey said 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.
The governor called on residents to follow guidance from local emergency officials and 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,” he said.
“I appreciate the extraordinary work of our firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency personnel, and environmental teams. We will continue supporting them until this fire is extinguished and the community is safe.”
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has also deployed personnel to conduct air quality monitoring around the incident using portable monitors, according to the governor’s office. The agency has yet to detect air quality readings that would require additional protective actions in the area, it added.
