CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State fire investigators are probing multiple fatal fires and an explosion that claimed four lives across West Virginia this weekend, the State Fire Marshal’s Office reported Monday.
A person died in a house fire in Prosperity, Raleigh County last Saturday afternoon, Jan. 25. The home was located on Vireo Lane. The victim was a 77-year-old female. The fire is undetermined in cause due to the amount of damage sustained to the home during the fire.
On Sunday, Jan. 26, a home exploded in Clarksburg, Harrison County around 3 p.m. The home was located on Kramer Drive. One male was rescued from the home and taken to the hospital, where he died overnight. A five-block radius of the surrounding area had to be evacuated for a time due to the explosion. The WVSFMO and Clarksburg Fire Department are working together to determine the cause.
Sunday a fatal fire occurred outside of Parkersburg. A 65-year-old female died in that fire, which happened around 6:30 p.m. on Hill Street. Investigators have ruled the cause of the fire as undetermined but believed to be accidental in nature.
In the morning hours of Jan. 27, a fatal fire occurred in the Prenter area of Boone County. That fire happened at a home on Prenter Road in Seth at around 6:45 a.m. The age and gender of that victim is unknown at this time and investigators are still at the scene.
All of the above victims have been taken to the WV State Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification and autopsy.