Fire Guts Building
Smoke From Blaze South Of City Seen For Miles
Posted: February 22, 2013
Firefighters work to extinguish a burning outbuilding next to greenhouses for Mistimorne Plants at 723 Pike Church Road in Rockingham County Thursday. Responders had the blaze under control within about a half-hour. (Photos by Nikki Fox / DN-R)
Crews work to control the fire near a propane tank attached to the outbuilding.
Smoke fills the sky from a fire in an outbuilding, which is next to greenhouses for Mistimorne Plants at 723 Pike Church Road, Thursday morning.
Farmers use their tractors to remove the tin roof from an outbuilding that caught fire on Pike Church Road Thursday. Smoke from the Rockingham County blaze could be seen from downtown Harrisonburg.
Firefighters battle to bring a fire under control Thursday morning at an outbuilding next to the greenhouses at Mistimorne Plants south of Harrisonburg. The blaze occurred just minutes after firefighters finished dealing with a fire at RR Donnelley north of the city. “It’s hard on the crews. Some of them have been up for 36 hours,” Rockingham County Assistant Fire Marshal Joe Mullens said.
Several firefighters worked both blazes, with crews having been at the book publishing plant for 18 hours.
“It’s hard on the crews,” said Rockingham County Assistant Fire Marshal Joe Mullens. “Some of them have been up for 36 hours. It’s pretty hard.”
Firefighters responded to the outbuilding blaze shortly after 11 a.m. in the 800 block of Pike Church Road, just south of Harrisonburg. A neighbor first spotted the smoke and called 911.
The smoke from the blaze could be seen from downtown Harrisonburg.
When firefighters arrived, Mullens said, they found the building completely on fire. It contained a wood stove and a large pile of wood, which helped fuel the inferno.
He said they also found a propane tank attached to the building on fire.
Firefighters began their initial attack on the blaze with water from firetrucks already on the scene, but they ran out of water for a few minutes.
Tankers had to shuttle water from the closest fire hydrant, which was about a mile away, near South Main Street in Harrisonburg.
Firefighters had the blaze under control within about a half-hour but remained for several hours to put out all the hot spots.
The property is owned by Willard Martin, who owns Mistimorne Plants. The business is next door to the property.
Some plastic coverings on several greenhouses located near the outbuilding melted during the blaze.
Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com