Fire destroys West Virginia woodworking shop

WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va. (WYMT/WSAZ) - A historic building in Wayne County, West Virginia went up in the flames Saturday morning.

Firefighters say the call came in around 4:45 a.m. for a fire at the old Wayne News building, which is now a woodworking shop.

AEP shut off power to the building and Mountaineer Gas closed off the natural gas pipeline.

Crews say it was a dangerous fire to tackle because of the chemicals stored in a back building. Officials were able to protect homes nearby and prevent any damage.

We are told the building, now known as Watts Woodworking, is not salvageable.

When the front of that building collapsed, it just barely missed three firefighters.

“It’s heartbreaking the town. You know we’re striving to have businesses in this town anyhow. When something like this happens, you lose one, it’s vital to the community,” Danny Grace, the mayor of Wayne, told WSAZ.

Lavalette Fire Department was also called to assist in firefighting efforts.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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