Halfway Responds To Morgan County To Assist On Outside Fire

On the afternoon of March 8th, Halfway crews were alerted at 14:46 hours to assist on a large outside fire in Morgan County, West Virginia. Firefighters had already been on the scene of the blaze for over an hour and a half when Command began requesting additional manpower from surrounding jurisdictions.

Engine 261 responded with a crew of 4 personnel to assist on the fire. Engine 261 was committed on the call for four hours before returning to the first due area. Over 60 firefighters from multiple jurisdictions responded to the afternoon incident. Halfway was one of four departments from Washington County who responded to assist Morgan and Berkeley County crews. Other departments from Washington County included Hancock VFC, Williamsport Fire & EMS, Clear Spring VFC, and Washington County Emergency Support Services.

The fire is being investigated by the West Virginia DNR. An illegal burn is believed to be the cause of the fire that damaged around 8 acres. Firefighters were hampered by steep and rocky terrain as well as changing wind conditions which caused the fire to rapidly spread the way it did.

Several people were checked on scene by EMS for smoke inhalation, but no one was transported for injuries as a result of the incident. No animals were injured, and no buildings were damaged as a result of the fire.