Community saddened after fire destroys business

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - If you’ve grown up in a tight-knit community, you can probably think of at least one family-owned business or local shop that seems like it’s been there forever-- and every time you drive past it, you know you’ve made it home.

“You get so used to seeing it and it is a shock when it’s not there.”

A fire destroyed Watts Woodworking early Saturday morning along Route 152. It used to be the Old Wayne County News building years ago.

Dispatchers say the fire broke out around 5 a.m. and went on for several hours.

“I live kind of up on the hill back here about four blocks away. Well, I could see the flames from my porch,” Danny Grace, Mayor for the town of Wayne, said.

Grace says the building was already engulfed in flames when he got there.

He says the loss of this building is heartbreaking for the town, as it’s been a staple for decades.

“I spent 16 years there at the Wayne County News, so a lot of memories. A lot of people from this community worked there off and on for the last 70 years, so it’s tough to lose something like this in your community,” Grace said.

Whether you’ve gotten work done at Watts Woodworking or remember working part-time at Wayne News when it used to be housed there years ago, the building holds so many memories that can never be replaced.

“Can it be rebuilt? Yes, but never replaced. That’s a building that goes down in history,” Grace said.

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