SUSPICIOUS FIRE Three Fire Departments Fight Flames A Junkyard
Reported by: Katy Brown
Videographer: Jeremy Bias
Web Producer: Katy Brown
Reported: Nov. 25, 2012 6:13 PM EST
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Clendenin
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
Paul Rucker lost a lot in the fire at his salvage yard.
"That was my personal van, now I got nothing to drive."
The junkyard on Bufflick Road in Clendenin went up in flames just after 7pm Saturday.
It took emergency crews from Clendenin, Frame and Pinch to put the fire out. And firefighters say the cause is suspicious.
"Upon arriving they found a large debris fire involving six automobiles, two camping trailers, some other storage facilities and equipment, covering about 200 square feet," said Kevin Clendenin, fire chief at Clendenin Volunteer Fire Department.
Rucker collects items to sell later in the salvage yard, most of them are cars or car parts and tires like the several lost in Saturday's fire.
It's a business he's been in all his life, but says he is close to quitting.
That is if the fires don't push him out first.
"I've been trying to chucking it, I was going to chuck it out and quit but man they're burning me out before I can get the junk out," said Rucker.
Firefighters say this isn't the first time for a fire to strike Rucker Salvage.
"We've been up there approximately 6 or 7 times since the first of June," said Clendenin.
And each time the fires have been suspicious. Clendenin said the fires are always unattended and when they interview bystanders, no body actually sees anything. So the fire is left as suspicious and cause undetermined.
State Police and the Environmental Protection Agency are now investigating the fire, hoping to find out what exactly happened.
That's something Rucker would like to know himself.
"Don't know if they was burning something trying to hide something or what or just wanting to watch a fire."
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Katy Brown
