The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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  • Firefighters were able to contain the blaze during this house fire on Woodlawn Avenue in Beckley. Rick Barbero

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March 16, 2010

Elderly Beckley woman killed in house fire

By Brad Johnson The Register-Herald

BECKLEY — An elderly Beckley woman was killed in a house fire at 302 Woodlawn Ave. Monday night, officials said.

“Her body has been sent to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsy, and her name will not be released until that has been completed,” Beckley Fire Department Chief Kevin Taylor said Tuesday morning, noting that the woman was a senior citizen and that she lived in the house alone.

“The cause is still under investigation,” Taylor said. “Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office are at the scene now.”

The fire was reported before midnight and Taylor said he was at the scene until 3 a.m. “We left some personnel there overnight until the investigators came this morning,” he said.

Taylor said later Tuesday that while the fire marshals had ruled out some causes, they still had not found the cause of the blaze.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze despite some water issues at the scene, Taylor said.

“When we charged the first hydrant, water started coming up through the sidewalks,” he said. “Our main water supply had to be switched over. We called the water company and they came out and worked on it overnight. Those are older pipes in that section of town, so it’s hard to say what caused the problem.”

Taylor said neighboring homes were never in danger from the blaze.

“The side of the house, where the bulk of the fire was, is adjacent to the neighboring structure, but there was never really any threat of it spreading,” he said.

No additional departments were called in to help with the fire but “we did call back additional personnel from our department,”  Taylor said.

— E-mail: bjohnson@register-herald.com

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