WAR — The State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating a fire of unknown origin that destroyed much of the former Big Creek High School building on Friday, according to the West Virginia State Police.

“We were at the scene early when a crowd started forming outside the school,” Senior Trooper L.F. Lee of the Welch Detachment of the West Virginia State Police said, but added that the troopers only responded to assist and not to investigate. “The State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating.”

“The fire marshal’s on his way,” Chief Claude Adams Jr., of the Berwind Volunteer

Fire Department said. Adams was among the first firefighters to respond to the blaze that was reported at 5:37 a.m. Adams said they arrived on the scene eight minutes after receiving the call, and added that the War Volunteer Fire Department was already on scene.

“Fire was coming up through the roof at that time,” Adams said. “It looked like it started about three or four hours before we got the call. It was burning hot from the area of the gymnasium floor. There’s a lot of wood right in that area.

“They were actually supposed to start demolition on the old school early next week,”

Adams said. “We have six departments here fighting this fire with us (Berwind), War, Welch, Coalwood, Bishop and Tazewell. We’re pretty much out of water here in the city, and we’re ready to start drawing water from the (Dry Fork of the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River) creek.

Adams said they called Tazewell to respond with their ladder truck so that both the Tazewell firefighters and the Welch firefighters could put water down on the roof at the same time.

Adams graduated from Big Creek High School in 1964.


Homer Hickam quote
Homer Hickam, the author of “The Rocket Boys: A Memoir,” graduated from Big Creek in 1960. His autobiographical book about the exploits of he and a few friends who were inspired by the launch of Sputnik to try their hand at launching rockets. Their efforts earned the group a slot in a national science fair competition.

“I am so saddened by this probable arson that occurred the same week as the school was going to be torn down,” Hickam wrote in response to an e-mail seeking comment from Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph assistant managing editor. “Although there is never an excuse for arson, I think it reflects the level of frustration and demoralization that has occurred in the area.

“Reflecting on it, I think this could have all been handled so much better,” he wrote. “Some recognition of the school and its contributions was in order, similar to decommissioning a warship and attendant ceremonies, rather than simply bringing in the bulldozers as if it were just another building.

“The people of the county have suffered much during the past 40-plus years and this is another painful episode,” he wrote. “I'm glad that I had the opportunity to celebrate the life there in my books before the changes began and I have hope for a renaissance there in the future but, for now, this hurts.”

Chief Matthew Dash of the War Volunteer Fire Department said that firefighters started battling to prevent the fire in the old school from spreading to the new Southside K-8 School and to the Dr. Thomas C. Hatcher Memorial Community Center.

“Everything has been a defensive tack since we have been here,” Dash said. “We have plenty of water now that we’re drawing off of the Dry Fork.” He said that the doors to the building were not secured.

Dash graduated from Big Creek in 1996. “This is the second fire I know about here,” he said. “There was a fire in one of the bathrooms when I was a student here.”

Lt. Cody Roberts of the Coalwood Volunteer Fire Department was also among the first firefighters to arrive on the scene. “I was in the graduating class of 2010, the last class to graduate from Big Creek,” he said. “I never thought I would be here doing this.”

Adam Gianato with the Welch Volunteer Fire Department said his department arrived at 6 a.m., and immediately, started putting water down on the roof to prevent the fire from spreading to other nearby structures.

“When we got here, it was already coming through the roof,” Gianato said. “I know the deputy fire marshal’s on the way.”

According to the Associated Press the school opened in 1932.