MOUNT CRAWFORD, VA (Rocktown Now) — Firefighters responded to a structure fire Monday afternoon after multiple 911 calls reported a shed ablaze on Old Bridgewater Road, with flames threatening a nearby residence.
At approximately 3:52 p.m., the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center dispatched crews to the scene. Upon arrival, responders found that the fire had spread from the shed into the adjacent home.
According to Rockingham County Fire Chief Jeremy Holloway, the blaze was contained in 40 minutes, but it took emergency personnel over an hour-and-a-half to manage a leaking 250-gallon propane tank on the property.
“The fire had already burned the top valving off so there was no way to shut it off. Crews remained there on the scene with water on the propane tank to keep it cool and to keep it from exploding.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Chris Shumaker and his son Gage Shumaker lived in the home. A GoFundMe has been started for the family.
