Firefighters battle blaze

WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -Firefighters are on scene of a structure fire.

It happened along Rt.152 at the old Wayne News building, which is now a woodworking shop.

The fire broke out around 5 a.m. Saturday morning and went on for several hours, according to dispatchers.

AEP shut off power to the building and Mountaineer Gas closed off the natural gas pipeline.

Crews say it was a dangerous fire to tackle because of the chemicals stored in a back building. Officials were able to protect homes nearby and prevent any damage to them.

We are told the building, now known as Watts Woodworking, is not salvageable.

When the front of that building collapsed, it just barely missed three firefighters.

“It’s heartbreaking for the town. You know we’re striving to have businesses in this town anyhow. When something like this happens, you lose one, it’s vital to the community,” Danny Grace, the mayor of Wayne, told WSAZ.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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