RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. — One of the best-known buildings in Ravenswood sustained significant damage in fire that happened Thursday morning.
The McIntosh House, a popular community center that’s been around since the late 1880s, was full of flames when fire crews arrived on the scene.
The building sustained damage to its second and third floors along with the roof.
“It’s a hub for many summer activities hosted by the Ravenswood Board of Parks and Recreation,” MetroNews affiliate WMOV Radio’s Tom Hunter reported.
Hunter said volunteers were able to retrieve some items from the lower section of the building.
“A lot of historical artifacts and art work were removed from the building by volunteers and saved from any damage that occurred as a result of this major structure fire,” Hunter said.
Smoke from the fire impacted the nearby NYA building but it was not damaged by flames.
Ravenswood Mayor Josh Miller said the fire was difficult to witness.
“This is a sad day in Ravenswood, but as with any challenges that come our way, we’ll face them as a community, we will regroup and rebuild,” Miller said in a social media post.
Miller told MetroNews the biggest events in the lives of many Ravenswood residents took place in the McIntosh House.
“You’ve had weddings, VFW (events), all of these organizations meetings. There’s so many emotions and friendship tied to this building. It’s really one of the pillars of our community,” Miller said.
Whether or not the structure can be repaired remains to be seen, Miller said, adding they’ll have to be a structural inspection.
Miller said the community will have to move on.
“It’s a punch in the gut but I just try to remind people that bad things do happen and we’re going to try and do everything we can to bring this thing back to life,” Miller said.
Reports indicated a person had been detained by police in connection with the investigation into what caused the blaze. Miller wouldn’t confirm the report but hoped to release more information about the investigation soon.
Miller said he was impressed with the emergency response to the blaze.
“Everybody from this region were here. That’s amazing and shows the type of community and region we live in,” Miller said.
Fire crews from Ravenswood, Riley, Silverton and Racine, Ohio were on the scene.