Couple Lose Home in Morning Fire
FIVE POINTS – A Meigs County couple lost their home Tuesday morning following a fire that also caused a temporary shut down of State Route 7.
Three fire departments responded to the home along SR 7 near the Ohio Department of Transportation garage. Firemen from Chester, Bashan and Pomeroy fire departments worked to battle the fully engulfed trailer blaze and dealt with a transformer that had caught on fire. The road was closed as a precautionary measure as firemen were concerned the power line would fall across the roadway. American Electric Power was contacted and shut the power off to the transformer.
One person was flown by MedFlight to Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, W.V. The victim was listed as being in critical condition as of publication.
Chief David Edwards of the Chester Volunteer Fire Department said the cause of the fire was still undetermined at this time. He said 19 firemen were on the scene from the three departments with Chester taking the lead in battling the fire. The firemen were hauling water in tanker trucks back and forth from the O.D.O.T. garage as there was no fire hydrant near the home. He said Chester’s tank truck holds 1,200 gallons of water and Bashan’s holds 2,500. Water was not an issue and he the cold weather had not been an issue in dealing with the fire.
Meigs County Sheriff’s deputies were on the scene to handle traffic as well.
It was reported the couple escaped through a back bedroom window as the fire quickly engulfed the trailer. The trailer was a total loss. The Red Cross has been called in to assist the couple.
