Mill Fall fire fatal

A structure fire on Little Mill Falls Run near Monongah Wednesday evening turned fatal, causing one death.

The fire was reported at 5:34 p.m. at 379 Little Mill Fall Road.

A woman in her 70s died in the fire, Monongah Volunteer Fire Department Chief Harless McCombs said.

The woman was in her home by herself at the time of the fire, but her son does live with her, McCombs said.

The son called his mother on his way home Wednesday and she told him she was cooking. Possible causes of the fire are thought to be cooking related or space heaters, McCombs said.

The fire was totally involved when crews arrived on scene. The home was a total loss, he said.

“Pretty much both floors collapsed into the basement area,” by the time firefighters were on scene, McCombs said. “It was a fast-moving fire.”

When crews arrived they had trouble accessing the house. The road is one lane and turns into basically a mud road before the house, he said.

Three mini-pumpers had to be used to fight the fire. They have four-wheel drive and are the size of a pickup truck. They have a portable water tank. The mini-pumpers had to make several trips back and forth about a quarter of a mile back down the road to refill, McCombs said.

The State Fire Marshal was on the scene of the fire Wednesday night. Firefighters had the fire under control by about 11 p.m., Harless said.

Monongah Volunteer Fire Department, Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Winfield Volunteer Fire Department, Worthington Volunteer Fire Department, Rivesville Volunteer Fire Department, Shinnston Volunteer Fire Department, Monongah Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the Marion County Rescue Squad responded to the fire, according to the Marion County 911 Center.