Major Fire Damages Tunnel Ridge Prep Plant in Ohio County
Derek Redd Trending
WHEELING – Firefighters from all over the Northern Panhandle and eastern Ohio converged upon the Tunnel Ridge Prep Plant on Monday night to combat a major fire that spread through the top two floors of the building.
No one was injured and all personnel was able to evacuate when the fire began, said Ohio County EMA Director Lou Vargo, but crews spent about three hours fighting the fire before it was under control. Vargo said the fire call came from the plant on Short Creek Road in Ohio County at about 8 p.m. Monday and the fire was under control at around 11 a.m.
Some crews stayed for the next several hours to watch for hot spots, Vargo said.
Dozens of fire trucks lined the road to the prep plant from the front gate to the structure. Smoke could be seen billowing from the top of the structure from across the creek, where onlookers parked their cars along the side of Short Creek Road and watched.
Tanker task forces from Ohio and Brooke counties in West Virginia and Belmont County in Ohio were called to the scene. Vargo said about 10 tanker trucks were at the site. Among the concerns, Vargo said, was the possibility of coal dust in the air around the plant.
When the fire was under control, the tanker trucks were called off. Vargo said there was a hydrant at the plant that should provide enough water for remaining crews to knock out hot spots.
The cause of the fire was unclear, Vargo said, but Tunnel Ridge officials would begin investigating. Representatives from the Mine Safety and Health Administration also were on the scene Monday.