The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

January 13, 2009

Firefighter injured in cabin blaze

A Sophia log cabin was largely spared after a Monday night fire that injured an assistant fire chief, authorities said.

Mark Larkin, public information officer for the Sophia City Fire Department, said about 20 percent of the structure at 103 First St. was burning when firefighters arrived.

The location, he said, was not the historic Boy Scout cabin the Gulf Preservation Authority had worked to restore.

The homeowners were not home when the fire began, Larkin said.

Larkin said he and assistant chief Jeff Johnson entered the building, but wires were arcing heavily. Whether it was a shock or another unknown cause, Johnson became “shaken up” and Larkin dragged him out of the cabin.

Johnson was treated at the scene and returned to continue fighting the fire, Larkin said.

The fire was contained after about 25 minutes, and about 65 percent of the cabin was saved, Larkin said. Most items inside were salvaged.

Larkin said the preliminary investigation indicated it was possibly an electrical fire.

— Amelia A. Pridemore

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