Oil-fueled fire claims Saluda home
by Tom Chillemi
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A fire that started when a lawn mower cut a heating oil tank line consumed the home of Jesse and Dorothy Scott of Saluda Monday afternoon, said Joe Moschetti of the Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department in Urbanna.
Moschetti said fuel oil shot out of the severed oil line from the above-ground tank and sprayed on the mower’s hot engine, which ignited the fire.
Lisa Banks of Remlik was driving by the tidy, white-and-green home on Route 33 about a half mile east of Saluda and saw Mr. Scott trying to put out the flames with a water hose. Banks stopped and tried to assist Mr. Scott.
When the oil tank got hot, Banks said they both cleared away. “Once that blew, there was nothing we could do,” she said.
Two oil tanks exploded, fueling the 2:45 p.m. fire. No one was injured.
When firefighters arrived the entire east side on the old home was in flames that reached several feet into the yard. Clouds of thick black smoke could be seen for miles.
The owners, comforted by friends, watched as firefighters used everything they had to try and stop the blaze from advancing.
Even after 30 minutes of spraying water from three water lines, the flames continued to eat into the second floor and attic.
Two firefighters moved into the front of the house with water lines as the fire raged above them. Fire chief Bill Thrift prudently called them out with three long blasts from the fire truck air horn.
Fire belched from every window and from the attic eaves. By the time the Deltaville ladder truck arrived, its 1,000 gallons-per-minute pumping power was not enough.
Fire companies from as far away as Tappahannock, Center Cross and Gloucester assisted in bringing the raging blaze under control. The only part of the Scott’s house that appeared to have been spared from the fire’s wrath was a large Christmas wreath on the front door, which a fireman took down and gave to the Scotts. “I’m sorry we couldn’t do more,” he told them.
This was the ninth major fire in Middlesex since September 16. In the past 14 weeks seven houses and two businesses have been destroyed. On Sunday, Dec. 14, a house in Church View was lost to fire Click here for that story.
Westbound traffic on the divided section of General Puller Highway was routed into a single lane on the eastbound side.
Fire companies from Urbanna, Hartfield, Deltaville and Water View worked the scene. The Urbanna rescue squad and fire department auxiliary also responded.
Fire rampage continues
In the past 12 weeks, there have been nine major fires that destroyed seven houses and two businesses in Middlesex County.
Bill Thrift, chief of the Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department in Urbanna, said local firefighters agree the rash of fires in unprecedented in his 47 years as a volunteer firefighter.
- On September 16, fire gutted an old house on Urbanna Road. Reportedly, the fire was started by a candle that had been dropped on a bedspread.
- On October, 22, fire claimed a home on Poplar Drive in Piankatank Shores at Hartfield.
- Moo’s Diner in Urbanna burned in the early morning hours of November 4. The cause is believed to be electrical.
- On November 13, an overloaded power strip destroyed a waterfront home on Bayport Road at Jamaica in upper Middlesex.
- On November 24, a older house in Urbanna was consumed by a fire that started in the furnace area.
- On November 25, a commercial building on Route 17 was severely damage by fire.
- On December 6, a home at Harmony Village near the intersection of Routes 33 and 3 was totally destroyed by fire around 3:30 a.m.
- On December 14, the home of John and Patricia Willis at 520 Dragon Road in Church View area was destroyed by fire Sunday around 8:30 p.m. Firefighters believe it was caused by electrical problems in the main fuse panel.
- On December 15, the home of Jesse and Dorothy Scott on Route 33 near Saluda was a total loss.
posted 12.15.2008