Trending Topics

Firefighters train at hoarder house

They spent a few days in a mock hoarder house and learned how to cut through the clutter

WSAZ.com

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. — Several Kanawha County firefighters spent last week learning how to battle fires in “hoarding” homes.

Ryan Pennington has spent years fighting fires. Much of that time, he has dedicated it to researching how to fight fires in homes filled with clutter.

He says fire departments have been seeing a much higher number of “hoarding” fires in recent years throughout West Virginia. “Compulsive Hoarding Disorder affects the elderly more often, and as the baby boomers get older we’re starting to see the frequency of occurrences happen a lot more often,” Pennington said.

Full story: Dealing with Fires in the Homes of Hoarders