Published: April 28, 2009 08:17 pm      

Firefighters battle blaze along McDowell, Buchanan borders

BRADSHAW — Fire departments in McDowell County and Buchanan County, Va. worked Tuesday to contain forest fires that continued burning along the state line.

Crews in Tazewell County also were working late Tuesday to contain a brush fire between Pocahontas and Abbs Valley. No structures were immediately threated by the Pocahontas blaze.

Fires were first reported in Raysal on April 26, said Chief Jonathan Waldron of the Bradshaw Volunteer Fire Department. More blazes started Monday in the Painesville area at Bradshaw Mountain. One home was destroyed, but nobody was present at that time, he said.

The fire started at the foot of Bradshaw Mountain and continued until it reached the summit, Waldron said when asked to estimate how many acres had burned.

Fire fighters with the Bradshaw, Iaeger, War, Raysal volunteer fire departments in West Virginia and the Grundy and Slate Creek departments in Virginia worked to contain blazes along the state line until approximately 2 a.m. Tuesday only to be dispatched again at 9:21 a.m. Much of the fire was contained by 4:30 p.m.

“I think there’s still some inside burn, but I think the major part of the danger is over as far as structures are concerned,” said Assistant Chief Larry Crouse of the Slate Creek Volunteer Fire Department. “There’s still a lot of burning, but I don’t think any structures are in jeopardy as of this time.”

A second home within 100 yards of the house that burned on Bradshaw Mountain suffered some smoke and heat damage, but it was saved, Crouse said. Winds and low humidity hindered fire fighters Monday.

Residents helped contain the fires.

“A lot of the locals contributed heavy equipment like dozers and assisted in putting in lines,” Crouse said. “They were a great help.”

Investigators with the West Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office were in McDowell County to check for evidence of arson Tuesday. Officers who visited the scene were not available for comment Tuesday.