Update on convenience store fire

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The Martinsville Fire Marshal’s Office is continuing its investigation of a fire that destroyed the IDL Market convenience store located at 1012 Liberty Street in Martinsville on the evening of Sunday, December 28.
The call came in to the 911 Communications Center at 8:27 p.m. When firefighters responded to the scene the fire was fully engulfed. Due to the intensity of the smoke and flames, firefighters used a defensive strategy to surround and extinguish the fire as quickly as possible without having to send a firefighter inside the building.
The store is owned by Charles “Chuck” Minter of Martinsville. Farhan Nazir is the manager and leases the building from Mr. Minter. Nazir and a store clerk, along with two to three customers were present when the fire broke out. Everyone was able to escape the building without further incident. Employees tried to fight the fire with a hand-held extinguisher, but quickly abandoned the effort when the fire started to grow and spread rapidly. The fire completely engulfed the building causing heavy damage to the entire structure, including the collapse of the roof. Damage to the building is estimated at $200,000, with another $50,000 or more in damage to contents of the structure. However, these are only initial estimates.
“The investigation is ongoing and probably will be for a while longer. We cannot say conclusively what caused the fire or where the precise point of origin is, at this time. However, so far we have not found any surprises. The burn patterns appear to be consistent with the eyewitness accounts from store employees and customers who were present at the time the fire occurred,” said Martinsville Fire Marshal Ted Anderson.
The Martinsville Fire Department would like to thank the many professionals and volunteers from other neighboring agencies who assisted in fighting the fire. This includes an estimated 50 volunteers from the Axton, Dyers Store, Collinsville, and Fieldale Volunteer Departments. Stone Ambulance Service also provided assistance at the scene. The Martinsville Police Department handled traffic control and the Martinsville Electric Department disconnected utility service to the building, making it safer for firefighters to fight the blaze. Two ladder trucks, one from Martinsville and another from the Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department were utilized to fight the fire from high above the ground, allowing firefighters to stay a safe distance from the blaze.
Further updates will be released as soon as more information is available.