Headlines

04/19/2008

     The Star City Volunteer Fire Department regrets to announce the passing of former fire chief and life long member Merwin Russell (Merv) Davis, Jr. 

The fire department will truly miss you Merv.

Merwin Russell (Merv) Davis, Jr. 85 passed away unexpectedly Saturday April 19, 2008 at his home in Star City.  Merv was born December 27, 1922 in Star City son of the late Merwin R. Davis, Sr. and Nellie Riley Davis.  He served in the United States Navy on the destroyer USS Smalley during WWII.  He worked briefly as a coal miner but built his career at his father’s glass factory, Davis-Lynch glass factory as the decoration shop manager.  After spending 39 years at the glass factory he retired in 1985. 

Merv was very active in his community of Star City serving as Fire Chief and in 1976 he served a two year term as Mayor of Star City.  He continued to serve on Star City’s town council and as an inactive member of the fire department until his passing, of which he considered to be a tremendous honor.
 
Second only to his family Merv’s greatest pleasure was playing golf and spending time with his buddies on the golf course.  He also enjoyed spending time caring for his yard.
 
Merv is survived by his wife of 62 years Emelia Mildred Cheslock Davis of Star City; two daughters Barbara Chico and Peggy Rowan and husband Tom; one son Merwin Russell Davis, III and wife Robin; five granddaughters, Heather, Erica, Stacey and husband John, Ariel and Melanie; four grandsons, Chris and wife Shelia, Shawn and wife Jennifer, Travis and Merwin IV, and four great grandchildren, Kelsea, Cameron, Layne and Gabrielle all of Morgantown.  Also surviving are two sisters Patty Kelly and Laura Arthur both of Florida.  Merv is also survived by his wife’s entire family whom he considered to be his own as well as many friends.
 
In addition to his parents Merv was preceded in death by three sisters, Thelma Barill, Lucille Pastoria and Liddy Michael.

Friends will be received Monday April 21, 2008 at the Fred L. Jenkins Funeral Home from 2-4 and 7-9pm and again on Tuesday from 1pm until time of services at 2pm.  Burial will follow at the Beverly Hills Memorial Gardens with military graveside rites conducted by Morgantown VFW Post 548 and WV National Honor Guard from Camp Dawson.
 
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in memory of Merv to the Star City Volunteer Fire Department C/O Bill Garvin P.O. Box 4235 Star City, WV  26504.

03/03/2008 - Motor Vehicle Accident - I 79

Woman taken to hospital after accident

Vehicle rolls several times; other car involved flees scene

Staff reports
   A woman was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital after her vehicle rolled several times between the Westover and Star City exits on Interstate 79 south at about 3 p.m. Monday, according to the Star City Volunteer Fire Department.
   Asst. Chief Ron Skidmore, Star City Volunteer Fire Department, said that when firefighters arrived at the scene, the woman was lying on the ground outside the vehicle and being comforted by bystanders. The woman, whose name hasn’t been released, was in fair condition when she was sent to the hospital.
   Officers at the scene said a second vehicle was involved in the incident, but fled the scene. The accident is being investigated by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department.
   “Several witnesses provided an excellent description of the fleeing motorist, and we will be following up on all leads,” said Capt. M.A. Ralston, Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department.
   Skidmore said the injured woman was traveling in the northbound lane when the Ford Focus she was driving went off the road and rolled over several times before coming to a stop in the southbound lane of I-79.
   Traffic was delayed in the southbound lane of I-79 for about 30 minutesas emergency crews and police helped the woman and cleared the scene.
   Skidmore described the woman’s car as a total loss. There were large cracks in the windshield, the tires were deflated and rims bent up, among dents and dings all over the car.

2/29/2008 - Motor Vehicle Accident / Vehicle into a Creek - Chipps Hollow Road

Company 20 was alerted for an MVA with one vehicle in the water.  U202 arrived on the scene and found one Jeep Cherokee had slide 40 ft off the side of the bridge and ended up upside down in the creek.  The patient had self extricated and was complaining of shoulder pain.   The patient was brought up to the roadway with the assistance of a low angle rope rescue line.  Pt refused services.

‘A horrifying experience’

Two drivers survive plunges into creeks

BY TRACY EDDY The Dominion Post

Gary Samples doesn’t typically carry a cell phone. But he took his wife’s cell phone with him Thursday because he was planning to meet his granddaughter after a doctor’s appointment. Around 10:45 a.m., Samples, 61, used that cell phone to call 911. He’d flipped his Jeep Cherokee into Poponoe Run Creek. It was one of two accidents Tuesday that sent drivers and their vehicles into icy creeks bordering slick roadways.
   Samples said he had an hour and a half to kill before he was supposed to pick up his granddaughter, so he decided to cut across Chipps Hollow Road, just off Monongahela Boulevard, to eat breakfast at Shoney’s.
   Samples said that when he cut the steering wheel to turn across the icy bridge, the Jeep wouldn’t turn.
   Instead it smashed through the guardrail, fell 25 to 30 feet, flipped onto its roof onto a cement bridge support and then slid into the water, Star City Police Chief Vic Propst said.
   Samples, who was hanging upside down inside his car, said he couldn’t get his seat belt undone at first, so he braced his feet against the windshield for leverage.
   Finally unbuckled, Samples couldn’t find a way out because both front doors were smashed in, he said.
   Samples said he flipped on the ignition switch and rolled down the Jeep’s rear windows, made his way into the back seat and crawled out.
   Samples said he wasn’t in the deepest part of the creek, and had only to wade through water a few inches deep to get to the hillside.
   Emergency workers pulled Samples to safety using a rope, Propst said, because Samples refused to get on the backboard stretcher.
   The Granville Police Department and the Star City Volunteer Fire Department assisted Star City police.
   Samples sustained few injuries from the crash, including some minor cuts on his hands from the rope.
   “It was a horrifying experience,” Samples said. “It’s God’s miracle that I wasn’t killed in that.”

02/28/2008 - Structure Fire - Holland Avenue

Electrical fire damages building

The Dominion Post
   An electrical fire Wednesday shut down Arizona Hair Designs on Holland Avenue in Westover and closed two apartments above it for several hours, an official said.
   Kenny Goodwin, chief of the Westover Volunteer Fire Department, said a ceiling light in the salon’s rear storage room shorted out and caught fire. He said that some insulation and part of the ceiling burned, and firefighters had to cut through the ceiling to ensure the fire was put out.
   The fire caused about $2,500 damage and sent smoke throughout the building, Goodwin said. The fire also melted some of the insulation on the building’s main power cable, which caused the fire department to shut off power for the entire building until it could be repaired. There was no structural damage.
   Goodwin said that about six people lived in the apartments above the hair salon. He said the residents were expected to be able to go back home by Wednesday evening.

02/28/2008 - Motor Vehicle Accident - Interstate 79

Slick roads send two into ditches

Cold and wet to continue

The Dominion Post
THE FIVE-DAY

forecast. Page 6-A.
Slick roads may have contributed to two crashes Wednesday morning, and meteorologists expect the cold, wet weather to continue.
Preston County schools will be closed today. Monongalia and Marion counties will operate on a two-hour delay.
On Wednesday, Mingde Shan, of Morgantown, escaped injury when he lost control of his Pontiac on a snow-and-icecovered Aaron’s Creek Road at about 11:15 a.m. Shan’s car ended up on the embankment, but no one was injured. Cool Springs Volunteer Fire Department and State Police responded.
Another crash occurred on Interstate 79 near the Pennsylvania state line.
Just after 11:30 a.m., a tractor-trailer hauling steel lost control, scraped a guardrail for several yards and eventually ran into a ditch. The driver had to be freed from his truck and was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital.
   No officer from the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department was available to provide additional details.
   Mount Morris Volunteer Fire Company and Monongalia Emergency Medical Services assisted at the scene.
   Today’s driving conditions may continue to be slick, as AccuWeather meteorologists call for more snow and rain.
   Today, expect partly sunny conditions, a high of 26 and a low of 20. Up to an inch of snow may fall overnight.
   Friday could bring more snow. Anywhere from a coating to an inch is forecast for daylight hours. The high will be 41, the low 30. A bit more snow may be on the horizon Saturday, with a high of 37 and low of 23. Sunday should warm up considerably, with some sunshine and a high of 50, falling to 32 at night.

02/23/2008 - Structure Fire - Mcfadden's Bar (Osage)

Blaze destroys Osage building

Structure fire transformed community’s appearance

BY J. MILES LAYTON

The Dominion Post
   An early morning fire transformed downtown Osage on Saturday by destroying a well-known landmark familiar to generations of people since the town’s early days.
   Firefighters from five area companies fought a blaze that consumed McFadden’s Bar and Danny’s Antiques and Collectibles, Tea for 12, and an apartment all located on Main Street in a long brick building that once housed the Christopher Coal Company store when Osage was a mining center, said property owner Mary Jane Coulter-McFadden.
   Capt. Dave Hamilton, of the Granville Volunteer Fire Department, said the fire caused more than $300,000 in damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation and the state fire marshal’s office has been notified. No one was hurt in the fire.
   Hamilton said a fire alarm sounded shortly after he arrived on the scene to assess the situation at 6:27 a.m. There was a lot of heavy smoke, he said.
   Hamilton said four fire engines, a tanker, a ladder truck and more than 40 firefighters from Granville, Westover, Star City, Cassville and Mount Morris volunteer fire departments fought the blaze for several hours before it was extinguished.
   “Two crews of firefighters went inside to attack the fire but had to be pulled out quickly when they realized the flames were being ventilated through the roof,” Hamilton said. “After that, we went on the defensive attack by using the ladder truck. The fire burned out of control until the roof collapsed.”
   McFadden, who lived in the apartment that was destroyed by the fire, was staying with her daughter Sami at Cheat Lake on Friday. Though McFadden has made plans to stay with family and friends, the building’s future is uncertain.
   “I don’t know what’s next,” McFadden said. “I’m in shock and kind of numb.”
   “This is a big loss for Osage and to me,” she said. “Since the early 1900s that place has housed many different businesses for decades, such as barber shops and taverns. I’d have to say it was one of the most historical places in town — at least it was before the fire. My brothers Dan, Charlie and I have owned that building since 1979. This is a tragedy not only for me, but for people who have lived here for years and grown up in Osage.”

02/20/2008 - Structure Fire - Meadow Ponds Golf Course

    At approx 0230 hours Company 13 (Cassville) was alerted for an unknown type fire.  Company 13 marked up and Mecca 911 advised that the assignment was going to be upgraded to a confirmed structure fire.  Report indicated that the old club house of Meadow Ponds golf course was on fire.  Companies 17 and 20 were added to the assignment.  Tankers from 17, 11(Blacksville), and Greene County, PA Co 18 were alerted due to a poor water supply.  Crews arrived on scene to find the structure fully involved.  Crews extinguished the fire with hand line and Ladder 176's ladder pipe.  Crews cleared at approx 0530.

02/17/2008 - Motor Vehicle Accident / Rescue Assignment - Boyers Avenue

Car chase suspect hospitalized

Pursuit went through 3 towns

BY J. MILES LAYTON The Dominion Post

   A Morgantown man is facing charges of multiple traffic violations after being pursued by police through Westover, Granville and Star City on Saturday, area police said.
   Lt. C.P. Hosey, Star City Police, said that before the chase ended, Michael J. Farley, 26, lost control of the Pontiac Grand Am he was driving and hit a large tree at about 12:20 a.m. on University Commons Drive in Star City.
   Farley was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
   Passengers in the vehicles were also taken to the hospital. According to eyewitness accounts, one passenger had to be pulled from the vehicle. Their names were unavailable at press time.
   Because of the extent of what police believed to be Farley’s injuries, he was not given a field sobriety test at the crash scene and was not in a condition to receive a blood alcohol test at the hospital following the incident, Hosey said.
   A Ruby Memorial spokesman said Farley is not currently listed as a patient at the hospital.
   Hosey said the incident is under investigation and charges are pending from multiple police agencies.
   Farley is listed among Monongalia County’s Most Wanted, according to the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department.
   Westover Police Chief J. Smith said police observed Farley traveling at a high rate of speed on Fairmont Road toward Wheeling Avenue late Friday evening. Before Farley traveled into Granville, Smith alerted Granville Police.
   Moments later, Farley was spotted on U.S. 19 by State Police, Hosey said. Farley avoided contact with police by traveling south in the northbound lane of U.S. 19 — the wrong direction — across the Star City bridge. Hosey said quick thinking Star City Police redirected traffic away from the bridge so as to avoid a possible head-on collision with Farley’s fleeing vehicle.
   Farley took a left onto Boyers Avenue before he turned into University Commons Drive and lost control of the vehicle. Hosey said Farley was reported to be speeding.
   The Grand Am that Farley was driving was severely damaged in the incident and has been impounded by authorities.

02/11/2008 - Structure Fire - Birch Hollow Road

Firefighters battle blaze on Birch Hollow Road

BY J. MILES LAYTON The Dominion Post

   Ralph Kyer was shopping for dinner at the Kroger store in Sabraton when his phone started ringing. When Kyer answered his phone, his son Jason told him his house on Birch Hollow Road was on fire, at about 7:30 p.m. Monday.
   “I put the pizza and popcorn back and left immediately,” Kyer said.
   Kyer was close on the heels of four fire departments as they pulled up to his smoking home. Though it was dark, dancing orange flames were visible through the clusters of trees about two hundred yards away and a white cloud of smoke rose high in the air. No one was at home at the time of the fire.
   While watching the blaze safely from a vantage point in a neighbor’s yard, Kyer saw a white flash and heard a pop, pop, popping sound. Every time firefighters sprayed the house with water, the flashing and noises spliced the darkness like lightning on a moonless night. Kyer shook his head and said it was probably the electric lines that were creating the disturbance.
   In the distance, firefighters from Granville, Star City, Brookhaven and Cheat Lake volunteer fire departments fought the blaze. Water flowed down to the frozen streams near where Kyer sat with his family in their car. His wife Charlotte held a brown ceramic coffee cup in both hands to keep warm.
   “I have been in that house since 1968,” Ralph Kyer said. “I raised four kids there. A lot of memories inside.”
   Kyer’s daughter Jennifer and granddaughter Autumn sat in silence in the dark.
   “I was raised out here,” Jennifer said.
   Kyer said his two cats, Gomer and Goober, would be inside the garage, so hopefully they would be OK. The cats were nowhere in sight, but the garage next to the house remained relatively unscathed.

01/26/2008 - Motor Vehicle Accident / Rescue Assignment - Route 705

Company 20 and Mon EMS were alerted for a motor vehicle accident in the area of 705 and Suncrest Towne Center.  Initial reports were of a single vehicle accident with roll over.  Reports also indicated that the vehicle was no down a steep embankment.  Engine 203 and Unit 202 responded.  Medic 66 advised enroute that there was negative entrapment but a positive access problem.  20-2 took command of the scene.  The vehicle was stabilized with high lift jacks, cribbing, and rope.  After the vehicle was stabilized the pt was extricated from the vehicle and taken up the embankment to the awaiting medic unit.  Pt was transported to Ruby Memorial.  Summer’s Towing removed the vehicle and company 20 returned.       

01/22/2008 - Motor Vehicle Accident - Interstate 79

Wintry mix causes flurry of accidents

Marion County man dies in wreck

The Dominion Post
   Icy roads contributed to multiple vehicle accidents along area roadways Tuesday, including one in which a Marion County man was killed.
   “We attribute the changing of weather conditions with the snow and slush, which made driving a little more hazardous,” said Mike Wolfe, a MECCA 911 spokesman.
   A tractor-trailer driver lost control on an icy Marion County road and struck and killed a man walking to get gas for his car, police said.
   Joseph Noto, 24, of Marion County, died at Fairmont General Hospital shortly after the 10:30 a.m. crash on W.Va. 250 south.
   Marion County Sheriff Junior Slaughter said Timothy Ford, no age available, also of Marion County, was driving a tractor-trailer near Hobart and Benton’s Ferry roads when he lost control on the icy roads.
   Ford hit several cars before striking Noto, Slaughter said. Noto was carrying a gas can and likely was headed to a gas station down the road, Slaughter said.
   The crash remains under investigation.
   Marion County Dispatch reported 18 vehicle accidents related to weather Tuesday.
   Wolfe said there were three potential medical rescues Tuesday that required law enforcement and emergency response teams, but no one had to be taken to an area hospital for treatment. One accident involved a car rollover at about 9:39 a.m., in the southbound lane of I-79 near the state line. Another vehicle hit an embankment shortly after 10 a.m. near mile marker 143 in the southbound lane of I-79. There was a minor accident on the Grafton Road on-ramp to eastbound I-68.
   Wolfe said there were 15 more weather-related accidents between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
   Roads also got nasty in Preston County, where at one point Tuesday, State Police urged people to stay off the roads because of black ice.
   From 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., Preston 911 received about a dozen accident calls.
   Kingwood Volunteer Fire Department was called to two accidents in the morning, one on W.Va. 7 west of town, near the American Legion, the other on W.Va. 7 east of town, on the sharp curve near the Whetsell Settlement Road. Both involved two cars; no one was injured in either accident.
   “They’re terrible,” Fire Chief Corky Thomas said of the road conditions.
   On Interstate 68 in Preston County, there were at least two accidents, one near mile marker 20 in the eastbound lane, the other near the runaway truck ramp.
   Bruceton-Brandonville Volunteer Fire Department was also called to assist in a three-car accident, where one car struck a tree.
   While the roads were a bit slick in places, the Morgantown Municipal Airport reported no delays.
   Rob Miller, AccuWeather meteorologist, said the weather conditions will be nicer today, with temperatures above freezing in many areas. There will be snow showers in the evening through overnight with up to an inch of accumulation of snow. Snow flurries will linger into Thursday, with colder temperatures and highs in the mid-20s.
   “There will be some slick travel in the area, particularly during the early morning hours Wednesday and into Thursday morning,” Miller said.

01/20/2008 - Structure Fire - Van Voorhis Road

Space heater sparks blaze

Tenants burn apartment by accident

BY J. MILES LAYTON The Dominion Post
   Richard Barr was sleeping on the couch when he started smelling smoke inside his Van Voorhis Road apartment at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
   Barr said he opened his eyes to see gray smoke all around him.
   “Something must have caught my nose,” he said. “The house was full of smoke. It all happened real fast.”
   Barr was the only one home at the time, so he had to think fast before the flames spread.
   “As soon as I saw the fire, I went to get an extinguisher and put out the fire,” he said.
   After Barr called the fire department, he went back inside the smoking building to rescue two boxer puppies — Mojo and Murdok — and a python, Mitch.
   “I got them out of the house first,” Barr said. “Nothing else mattered.”
   Moments later, dozens of firefighters from Star City, Westover and Granville were on the scene, along with Monongalia Emergency Medical Services.
   Star City Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jeff Quinn said a torpedo heater is to blame for the fire. He described the heater as being about 4 feet long with a large fan, the type of heater used on cold days during football games at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium.
   Quinn said the apartment’s tenants were trying to thaw out some water pipes within the walls; temperatures this weekend were in the teens. He said the incident is under investigation, but the tenants probably placed the heater a little too close to the exterior wall. The extreme heat caused the siding to melt and ignite.
Lt. Steve Brown, of the Star City VFD, said it is important for people to remember, “if you thaw something out, try to avoid using an open flame and never leave heaters unattended.”
Quinn estimated the fire caused $3,000 to $4,000 in damage.
Barr said the heater was outside to try to thaw out the water pipes. Barr, 22, said he didn’t lose much in the fire, just a few minor toiletries. While Barr was collecting his things, he said that he and his roommates, older brother Tommy, 28, and Eric Downs, 24, will be able to find somewhere to stay.
   “I think we’ll be able to find a place to stay until this gets fixed,” he said. “There is nothing to worry about.”
   A few hours later, Downs said their landlord and boss, Michael Toth, allowed them another apartment to stay in nearby while the damage is being repaired.
   “It is a lucky break,” Downs said. “He is a great boss. Thanks."

01/18/2008 - 2008 Fund Drive begins

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     As you may or may not know, the Star City VFD is a non-profit, ALL VOLUNTEER organization that provides the primary fire and rescue services for your residence and the surrounding area.  We have been able to remain completely volunteer since our charter in 1939.  As a private, non-profit organization a large percentage of our annual operating costs are covered by the generous donations from people like yourself.  The importance of your donation this year is more important that ever due to the increase in funds required to finance our everyday operations.  Your donation will help the fire department continue to provide an excellent service to you and other residents of Monongalia County.  As always, any contribution you are able to make is greatly appreciated. 

01/01/2008

     2007 was one of the busiest in department history.  According to Mecca 911, Company 20 was the third busiest volunteer department in the county being dispatched to over 600 calls for service. 

Congratulations to the new officers for 2008

Operations

Chief

Jeff Quinn

Asst Chief

Ron Skidmore

Captains

Jason Rice

John Lemley

Lieutenants

Bob Baliker

Steve Brown

John Madison

Jon Painter

Fire Marshal

Jason Quinn

Administrative

President

John Madison

Vice President

Levi Filsinger

Secretary

Chris Milam

Treasurer

Bill Garvin

Trustees

Andy Laskody

Donnie Goodwin

Jason Rice

Steve Brown

Nicki Kirkendall

Click here to view 2007 Department Headlines