Fire ravaged this home on Rural Street in Paden City Thursday morning.

According to Paden City Assistant Chief Tim McFadden, firefighters were alerted to a structure fire Thursday morning, 5:10 a.m., on the 200 Block of Rural Street in Paden City. The first arriving fire apparatus arrived at 5:24 a.m. and encountered a heavy fire load in a bulk of the two story structure. Crews battled to keep the fire away from neighboring structures as well as attempting to save as much of the property owner’s possessions as possible.

Crews faced frigid temperatures and a well involved fire that did not warrant an interior fire attack. In addition, firefighters were taxed with using a fire hydrant that was situated a considerable distance from the section of Rural Street where the fire was occurring.

The fire is suspected to have originated in the bathroom portion of the house and was deemed to be electrical in nature. It rapidly extended to engulf the house in a matter of minutes. The fire has initially been declared an accidental fire but remains under investigation from the Paden City Volunteer Fire Company. The fire was declared under control at 6:12 a.m. and units remained on scene until 9:53 a.m.

“Residents are reminded to check their smoke alarms and plan routes of escape during a fire,” said McFadden. “We were able to get everybody out of the structure this time, but without proper warning these situations could become deadly.”

The PCVFC responded with three fire engines and two support vehicles manned by 15 volunteers. The PCVFC was assisted at the scene by the Sistersville Volunteer Fire Department, New Martinsville Fire Department, Wetzel County EMS, and the Paden City Water Department.

Donations to the family whose home was lost may be made at the Paden City Eagles Club. The Eagles Club may be reached by phone at 304-337-9495.