Only a few members of the Wheeling Fire Department remain on Wheeling Island Casino property at this time after crews battled a blaze last night that completely destroyed the Exposition Hall.
No official statement was released by the city of Wheeling as of 2:30 a.m.
According to scanner communication between Ohio County 911 dispatchers and first responders, crews were first released from the scene of the massive fire before 8:30 p.m., but the Ladder 1 and Ladder 6 companies remained to continue efforts to completely extinguish the blaze. Once things were under control, a skeleton crew remained on scene.
The fire was initially reported at approximately 6:13 p.m. by patrons of the property owner, Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. Casino representative Carrie Scanlon confirmed the historic building, constructed in 1924 for the West Virginia State Fair, was utilized as a storage facility for files and other items. It housed not only files but also landscaping and other equipment utilized on the property.
The blaze was described by firefighters as fully involved during the first hour, but the crews were successful in knocking down most of the flames in the first two hours. Employees from AEP were called to the scene in case the fire endangered power lines in close proximity to the Exposition Hall. A chimney on the south end of the building was a concern at one time.
Additional details are expected later today.
(Photo provided by the Wheeling Fire Department)
