Photo by Christopher Dacanay Two buildings in the 600 block of Commercial Street in Mingo Junction are heavily damaged after an early morning structure fire Thursday.

MINGO JUNCTION — Firefighters rescued a man from an overnight structure fire on Commercial Street that destroyed two buildings and left others damaged.

Officials with the Mingo Junction Fire Department said investigations are ongoing into the fire, which occurred in the 600 block of Commercial Street.

First reported around 1 a.m. Thursday, the fire destroyed an apartment building and an adjacent, unoccupied building at 652 and 656 Commercial St.

Residing in the apartment was Walter “Bub” Beall, whom firefighters helped escape from his second-story residence using an extension ladder. Brooke County EMS transported Beall to WVU Medicine Weirton Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation, though he was later released.

Both the apartment and adjacent building are considered to be total losses, officials said, while two nearby structures sustained water and smoke damage. Beall’s apartment sits above the Parkview Inn at 660 Commercial St.

Mingo Assistant Fire Chief Nick Moore, officer in charge of the scene, said the department received a call at approximately 1:18 a.m. for a reported structure fire with entrapment at 662 Commercial St.

“Quick action” followed from Engine 4711, Moore said, with firefighters Zack Cunningham and Caleb Ritchie posting a ladder to Beall’s window and helping him to the ground, assisted by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. Having exited the window, Beall was “scaling the building” and “close to jumping” when help arrived, Moore noted.

Mingo firefighters began to battle the flames, Assistant Chief Aaron Dickey said, adding that assistance came from the Brilliant Volunteer Fire Department, the Hillndale Volunteer Fire Department, the New Alexandria Volunteer Fire Department, Wintersville Fire & Rescue, the Tiltonsville Fire Department, the Toronto Fire Department and the Steubenville Fire Department.

Also assisting on scene were law enforcement officials from the Mingo Junction Police Department, Wells Township Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

By about 6 a.m., the fire had been sufficiently extinguished, Dickey said. The roofs of both structures had caved in.

Moore said the MJFD is investigating the fire’s cause, in partnership with the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office. Investigators from the latter were on scene around 8:30 a.m., inspecting the buildings and using a drone to capture aerial images of the structures.

Around the same time, crews from the Mingo Junction Service Department cleared the sidewalk and roadway of debris, while American Electric Power worked to restore power on the street. Houston Sexton, owner of local pressure washing business S&S Softwash, used his equipment to remove soot from the pavement.

An unpleasant odor hung in the air, as village residents and city building employees stood nearby to monitor progress. Among the small crowd was Mayor Judy Ruckman, who praised the village’s firefighters for doing an “excellent job.”

Ruckman expressed sympathy for Beall, who she said lost all his belongings in the blaze. She encouraged others to donate to Beall with checks — in care of the village of Mingo Junction — that can be dropped off at the city building.

“We’re going to set up a fundraiser or something because he has nothing,” Ruckman said, adding later: “My heart’s broken — for the town, for him.”