Major fire burns salvage yard in Montcalm
Apr. 14—ROCK — Firefighters from three counties converged Thursday on a local salvage yard after a fire started and spread quickly among acres of junk cars, sending up huge plumes of black smoke that could be seen for miles across Mercer County.
A fire was reported before 3 p.m. at the Nelson Pigg Auto Salvage along Browning Lambert Mountain Road. Dispatchers with Mercer 911 were told that a few cars were on fire, but the blaze spread quickly.
Capt. Timothy Wyatt of the Montcalm Volunteer Fire Department said his engine was the first on the scene. He took a moment to describe the blaze at its beginning. How the fire started had not been determined at that time. Fire engines from different departments were still arriving as he spoke.
"We pulled up and there were about five cars on fire. The wind shifted," Wyatt said. "It took off both ways, surrounded us down there. It spread fast. Probably about 150 cars burned by now. We got the whole county. We've got Tazewell County helping us out. McDowell County is here. Their OEM (Office of Emergency Management) director is here trying to get extra supplies in."
Besides the Montcalm department, firefighters with Bluefield,Va., Bluewell, East River, Bramwell, Princeton, Oakvale, Athens and other Mercer County fire departments were at the scene along with firefighters from Kimball, Northfork and other parts of McDowell County. Members of the Bluefield Rescue Squad, West Virginia Division of Forestry and the West Virginia State Police Princeton detachment were also on the scene.
Black smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air as firefighters positioned their engines and worked on getting the growing blaze under control. Fire was spreading into the trees and homes were nearby. Sheila Rexroth, a cousin of the yard's owner, Nelson Pigg, watched from the road.
"Don't go too close," she advised. "Everything is exploding down there. Batteries. Gas. Tires. Anything in a car that can explode is going to explode."
Explosions as loud as gunshots could be heard every minute. The towering columns of smoke marked the scene for miles.
"People are saying you can see it all the way from Princeton," Rexroth said.
Rexroth said that she was outside with her cousin Nelson and his wife, Tammy, when they noticed the fire about 2:45 p.m.
"His wife said that the junk yard is on fire," she said.
Other residents watching the fire said nothing like it had ever happened before Thursday.
"We're hoping they can get it under control," said Brandi Mitchem as she motioned away from the homes. "And make it go that way."
Firefighters drank water and Gatorade and tried to rest whenever exhaustion started overtaking them.
"This is about the worst I've ever been on," said firefighter Josh Watkins of the Bluewell Volunteer Fire Department.
Nelson Pigg watched somberly as the fire consumed his business. It has been operating for about 35 years.
"Everything you've worked for all your life, gone," he said.
Pigg said the cause could have been arson. He had seen a car leave the area just before the fire.
"So I think it was set," he said, adding that another cause could be to blame. "But you never know."
Deputies with the Mercer County Sheriff's Department controlled traffic while the fire departments were on the mountain.
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
