Fire that prompted local emergency in Isle of Wight ruled accidental

SMITHFIELD, Va. (WAVY — What had started as just another day at work for Andrew Walker of Complete Auto quickly took a turn.

The 23,000-square-foot warehouse that is home to that and 12 other businesses caught on fire Thursday morning, forcing Walker and everyone else inside to have to outrun the flames. The warehouse is a total loss.

“Just heard a big kaboom, explosion, and it threw me up against the bay doors,” Walker said, adding that the “roof caught on fire somewhere in the back of one of our shops. I ran out the door and got the dogs out and got 911 out here.”

Firefighters at the warehouse in the Isle of Wight Industrial Park were able to get a fire there under control, but not before a local emergency was declared due to the potential release of hazardous materials, officials said, and not before the fire took over the entire warehouse.

“If you’ve ever thrown an aluminum can inside of a bonfire, that’s what it looks like,” said Walker, whose hand was slightly singed on his way out.

“I’m the only one that got my hand burnt, but it should be OK,” Walker said.

The fire at the industrial building off of Benns Church Boulevard south of Smithfield was marked under control at 1 p.m., per Garry Windley, the fire chief in Isle of Wight. However crews remained at the scene into the night to control hot spots and possible flareups.

The fire that broke out around 10:20 a.m. Thursday at the industrial park off Benns Church Boulevard had local officials concerned over the potential release of hazardous materials. They declared a local emergency at 11:40 a.m. in response.

Photos from the scene sent by a WAVY viewer and from WAVY’s James River Bridge camera showed black smoke high in the air. Chopper 10 and a drone from Suffolk Fire & Rescue also flew over the scene.

In an update Thursday, Windley said there was no risk to the public regarding air quality, however the Virginia Department of Emergency Management was helping with any potential runoff of hazardous materials at the site. On Friday morning, he said containment of the run-off “eliminated any risk of hazardous material exposure to the public.”

Windley also shared that two minor injuries were reported, one to a civilian and another to a firefighter who were treated at the scene.

Firefighters had the additional challenge of fighting the fire without any nearby fire hydrants, so all the water to fight it came from tanker trucks. Numerous agencies responded to the fire, including Isle of Wight County Fire and Rescue, Smithfield, Carrollton, Rushmere, Windsor, Surry County and Isle of Wight volunteer fire departments, Suffolk Fire & Rescue, Newport News Fire Department, Virginia Department of Emergency Management and Virginia State Police.

Authorities haven’t shared what exactly the hazardous materials may be, but 10 On Your Side later learned some of those hazardous materials included diesel fuel, propane and fiberglass.

Fire officials have ruled the fire accidental, but the cause is undetermined and still under investigation.

In a Facebook post from a business housed in the warehouse, Field of Dreams Gymnastics Club, it said “a fire and explosion started in a boat repair unit in the complex.”

And now, 13 businesses are gone, in a flash, with the warehouse a total loss.

“Any time we have a fire like this, it’s devastating not only to the individuals, but the community,” Windley said, “because they provide a lot of service here within the community.”