Appalachia FD: Garage fire in Wise County developed into wildfire due to wind

EXETER, Va. (WJHL) — The Appalachia Fire Department said a garage fire late Saturday evening in the Exeter community of Wise County, Virginia led to a wildfire, which has since been contained.

A social media post by the department said the fire began in a detached garage in the 800 block of Oakdale Street in Exeter. The department said that explosions occurred in the garage during the fire, which caused it to start “spreading into the wood line.”

The post states first responders arrived to find that “several vehicles along with [the] detached garage and several sheds had become heavily involved in fire.”

Appalachia firefighters quickly put out the fire and protected threatened structures. However, due to windy conditions, spot fires caused several other fires beyond the original blaze.

The department then requested Virginia Department of Forestry assets to help contain the wildfire. After all initial fires were extinguished, the Appalachia Fire Department remained on the scene several hours into Saturday night and Sunday morning to provide exposure protection to nearby homes that were affected by the wildfire, according to the department.

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