The Shadow
BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) – A fire that destroyed three buildings has left a gaping hole in Beckley’s downtown historic district.
Firefighters from several departments battled the blaze, which was reported around 5 p.m. Monday. The fire was extinguished but the buildings continued to smolder Tuesday morning.
It began in one building at the corner of Neville and Heber streets and quickly spread to the other structures, media outlets reported.
Two structures housed three businesses, while the city owned the third building, which at one time was Rose & Turner, a furniture store known. No injuries were reported.
Firefighting efforts were hampered by cold temperatures, wind and blowing snow. One fire hydrant was frozen, as were connectors to fire hoses, Beckley Fire Chief Kevin Taylor said.
Authorities believe the fire started in the center building due to the amount of smoke issuing from it when they arrived. But the origin and cause have not been determined.
An estimate of damage also has yet to be made, Taylor said.
The nearby Raleigh County Courthouse and Beckley Water Co.’s downtown office were closed Tuesday due to the fire.
City National Landmarks Commissioner Scott Worley said the buildings were the cornerstone of Beckley’s historic downtown structures.
“Any building that is missing from the streetscape is like a busted out tooth and the concern of the Historic Landmarks Commission will be how to fill in that tooth, how to save some of the structures, if possible, and how to fill in that space,” David Sibray, a former president of the landmarks commission, told The Register-Herald.
The fire was a haunting reminder of a devastating blaze on April 15, 1912, that consumed about 40 businesses and wiped out two blocks.
“The most bizarre thing is that the fire of 1912 started next door to this one, in the Rose & Turner building. It is devastating to lose these old buildings,” Beckley Common Councilman Tom Sopher, who also is president of the Raleigh County Historical Society, told The Register-Herald. “I hate that this has happened. It’s a loss for the city and for those businesses.”
Sibray and Worley both said a landscape architect familiar with historic should be brought in to protect the remaining historic district’s integrity.
Taylor said the fire department is investigating the blaze.
