By Taylor Boyd
The former Patrick County CO-OP building in Woolwine caught fire Saturday, February 7, resulting in a total loss of the commercial property.
Thomas Industrial Fabrication was renting the building from Wade’s Produce as a working warehouse.
Woolwine Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bennett Shough said the fire started around 3:30 a.m.
“It was very cold and very windy. It was a big fire with the wind driving the fire, and everybody about froze to death,” he said.
Firefighters were on scene till about 2:30 p.m. containing the fire.
“The wind was driving the fire. There was just so much involved – the building’s so big, it was just hard to contain. We couldn’t get inside it because it was caving in in places, and there’s so much stuff inside the building. We didn’t know what was in there, so we didn’t want to go in.
We were trying to fight it from the outside,” he said.
Shough estimated 40 firefighters and service personnel were on scene.
In addition to the Woolwine crew, those from Fairystone Volunteer Fire Department, Smith River Volunteer Fire Department, Stuart Volunteer Fire Department, Moorefield Store Volunteer Fire Department, Patrick Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Bassett Volunteer Fire Department, as well as Patrick Henry Volunteer Fire Department, and Meadows of Dan Volunteer Fire Department helped fight the blaze.
Patrick County Emergency Medical Services, Smith River Rescue Squad, and the Patrick County Sheriff’s Department were also on scene.
No one was injured in the fire.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
