Berkeley County, W.Va. has its fourth fire fatality of 2023

The West Virginia state fire marshal's office is investigating Berkeley County's third fatal fire of the year, and fourth fire fatality after a woman was found dead at a Wednesday morning fire south of Martinsburg.

"It's horrible," said Chief Martin Roberts of the Berkeley County Fire Department.

Neither the Winchester Avenue home in Wednesday's fire nor a mobile home at Gantts Mobile Home Community in an April 7 fatal fire had working smoke detectors, Roberts said.

Early notification of a fire is "the key for survival" with how fast things burn these days, Roberts said.

Roberts said every fire department in Berkeley County, including the Martinsburg Fire Department, can provide two working smoke detectors per home for free.

The house fire Wednesday in the 3100 block of Winchester Avenue was dispatched shortly after 1 a.m. with information that two people were trapped, according to Roberts and Berkeley County Emergency Services.

Roberts said three county career firefighters stationed at Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department were the first to arrive at the single-family home. Firefighters from the 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard arrived shortly behind them.

While one county firefighter was running the water pumps, two of the county career firefighters tried to enter the home and probably four Guard firefighters also tried to enter while the house was still ablaze, he said.

"The public needs to understand that took great sacrifice to try to rescue those people," Roberts said.

Firefighter's gear catches fire while breaching home

The first county firefighter who tried to enter the front door, after the fire had already blown out a front bay window, forced the front door in and, with his momentum, fell on the door, Roberts said.

That firefighter's turnout gear caught fire and another firefighter helped extinguish the flames on his uniform, Roberts said.

The firefighter whose turnout gear had burned went to the back of the house and found a man had escaped the house and was on the back porch, Roberts said. The second career firefighter stretched a fire hose through the front door to extinguish the fire.

The male, a resident of the home, was taken to Berkeley Medical Center for treatment for smoke inhalation and airway burns, according to Roberts and the West Virginia Fire Marshal's Office.

The second county career firefighter sustained a steam burn to his right hand and was checked out by EMS personnel at the fire scene for a superficial burn, Roberts said. That firefighter returned to work by Friday.

It took firefighters 3 to 5 minutes to knock down the fire, Roberts said.

Knocked down means the main fire is out and firefighters are searching for hot spots.

The second occupant of the home, a woman who had called 911, was found deceased near the front door, Roberts said.

A dog also died in the fire.

The fire marshal's office said Friday the name of the deceased woman is not yet available. The cause of blaze is undetermined, the office said.

About 20 firefighters from the county fire department, the Guard, the Martinsburg Fire Department, the Veterans Affairs Fire Department, Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department and the South Berkeley Volunteer Fire Co. responded to the fire.

Roberts estimated the fire caused $75,000 to $100,000 in damage to the home.

Firefighter sustained significant damage to turnout gear

The Berkeley County Professional Firefighters Local 5045 posted pictures of the damage to the first firefighter's turnout gear on the union Facebook page. Those images show the outer part of the turnout coat and the hooded top worn under the coat with severe damage and material eaten away by the heat and/or fire.

Roberts said that kind of turnout gear damage happens occasionally.

"When you're faced with between 900 to 1,000 degrees' heat, things are going to fail," Roberts said.

The firefighter's self-contained breaking apparatus face mask also glazed over from the high temperatures, he said.

Earlier fatal Berkeley County fires

The fire at the Gannts Mobile Home Community Park north of Martinsburg was reported around 12:45 a.m. on April 7, Roberts said.

An adult son was able to escape the home, but his father didn't, the fire chief said.

Two people, an adult female and a juvenile male, died in a Jan. 23 fire at a 90 Cottage Road apartment building northeast of Martinsburg. They were identified as Christina Speaks, 40, and Jaxon Martin, 9, according to the fire marshal's office.

The fire was ruled accidental, the office said.

State fire marshal investigators, assisted by the Loudoun County, Va., Fire Marshal's Office, determined that fire started in the master bedroom.

Roberts said there were working smoke detectors at that home.

Smoke detectors are vital in surviving a fire

The Berkeley County Fire Department, in light of recent fatal fires where there were no working smoke detectors, issued a release this week emphasizing the importance of early detection.

Early detection of smoke and fire is a matter of life and death, the release states.

The department also emphasized the importance of having a family evacuation plan in the event of a fire emergency at home.

"The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside all sleeping areas, and on every level of the home, including the basement," the release states.

• Alarms should be tested monthly.

• All occupants of the home should know what the alarm sounds like.

• If an alarm "chirps," replace the battery immediately.

• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old, or sooner if they are not responding properly when tested.

If residents need help getting or installing a smoke detector or have questions and/or concerns about updated smoke alarm requirements, they can contact their local fire department.

• Berkeley County Fire Department, 304-263-1345

• Martinsburg Fire Department, 304-264-2111

• South Berkeley Volunteer Fire Department, 304-229-5377

• Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Department, 304-754-3662

• Bedington Volunteer Fire Department, 304-274-2381

• Back Creek Valley Volunteer Fire Department, 304-229-8992

• Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department, 304-263-7755

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Berkeley County, W.Va., has fourth fire fatality of 2023