CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) — Charleston Fire Investigators say it appears a fatal fire at an apartment above a Charleston pharmacy was an accident.
The fire was reported about 9 p.m. Saturday above Trivillian’s Pharmacy on 35th Street in Kanawha City.
Firefighters say the fire is still under investigation, but right now it appears accidental. At the scene Saturday, firefighters told WSAZ the fire started in the kitchen.
When crews arrived on scene, flames were shooting out of a second floor window. Firefighters worked through the heavy smoke to rescue three people from the building, but one man did not survive.
Firefighters contained the fire to the apartment where the man died. His name has not been released yet.
Don Gay, who lived in the building, describes the victim as a friendly man who was well liked throughout the building.
“It’s sad because, he used to work at the Union Mission and he was a christian,” said Gay.
This is the same pharmacy that federal investigators raided last year. The owner of Trivillian’s and the pharmacy were later charged.
Investigators say a civil settlement has been reached in that case.
Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.
Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.
He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.
