Fire Engulfs Former J&H Market

By CARRA HIGGINS, Staff Writer
Sparks flew and small explosions could be heard as part of the roof blew away and flames engulfed Norton Recycling and the home of its owners in Montrose Thursday afternoon. Smoke bellowing from the site, which is the former J& H Market, could be seen from miles away.

The business and home’s owner, Fred Bennett, said he was cutting metal when he noticed the flames. He said he tried to stop the fire with a garden hose, but soon realized it could not be contained and called the fire department at 4:45 p.m. The fire quickly spread from one end of the building to the other.

The cause of the fire is undetermined and will be investigated by the state fire marshal, according to J.W. Jones of the Elkins Fire Department. Jones said the building will likely be declared a total loss.

Forty firefighters from Elkins, Coalton, Beverly, Parsons, Leading Creek and Junior fire departments responded to fire. Firefighters knocked down garage doors and entered the building to put out the fire from the inside.

The fire was contained around 6:30 p.m, but Leading Creek was still on the scene after 11 p.m. to monitor hot spots.

U.S. 219 was blocked to allow room for fire trucks to park on the roadway. Some motorists were given directions to a detour, but several tractor trailers were unable to turn around and waited for more than two hours for the road to clear.

The Junior and Parsons fire departments traveled to the old Leading Creek Volunteer Fire Department, which was the nearest fire hydrant, to retrieve more water to fight the fire. A truck from Leading Creek also pumped water from a nearby pond. The water was transferred into large dump tanks in order to have a constant water supply.

“You get water from wherever you can get it in rural areas,” said Jeff Skidmore of the Junior Volunteer Fire Department.

The Randolph County Emergency Squad was dispatched to the scene, but returned to its station because there were no injuries. Allegheny Power also responded to the fire to remove the electric meter to prevent damage.