Dog dies in Morgantown townhome fire

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - A major fire in Morgantown on Monday left several people without their homes and took crews hours to knock down.

The fire broke out at around 11:35 a.m. on Monday in townhomes on Ashton Place.

Crews from several fire departments spent more than four hours fighting the flames.

Clinton District Fire Chief Mike Huggins says crews arrived to fully involved fires.

“We rolled on scene with 3 units fully involved, maybe 4 with water damage, and one pet was lost in the fire,” said Huggins.

While no people were hurt, firefighters pulled the body of a dog out of one unit.

One of the residents spoke with 5 News off-camera. She says she saw her A/C unit on fire before evacuating.

However, fire officials say the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

There’s currently no dollar estimate for all the damage to the townhomes affected.

As for those who lost their homes, the local Red Cross is reaching out to help them find temporary shelter.

While the blaze caused significant damage, Huggins says there was great teamwork by the departments on the scene to keep it from being worse.

“I just want to thank everyone who came out and helped us out today -- they really worked good together,” said Huggins.

ORIGINAL STORY

Emergency crews responded to a fire at a townhome complex in Morgantown Monday morning.

Crews were dispatched to the fire in the 900 block of Ashton Place at around 11:35 a.m. on Monday, according to the Monongalia County 911 Center.

911 officials say no injuries have been reported at this time.

Smithtown Rd., which runs near where the fire is at, is shut down as crews battle the blaze, according to the Monongalia County Emergency Management Agency.

Further information has not been released at this time.

This is a developing story. Stick with 5 News for updates.

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