PARKERSBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed following the massive Parkersburg warehouse fire that sent towering plumes of thick black smoke into the air, prompted a shelter-in-place order and required a prolonged multi-agency firefighting response.
The lawsuit, filed July 7 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, was brought by James Leonard Anthony and Doris Jean Anthony against Peoples Cartage, Inc. and its parent company, Total Distribution, Inc.
The complaint seeks to represent residents, business operators and property owners allegedly affected by smoke, ash, soot and other particulate matter from the fire at the Peoples Cartage facility on Camden Avenue.
The lawsuit alleges the companies were negligent and claims the warehouse’s fire suppression system had been shut off following an initial fire on July 4, leaving the facility without an adequate backup system when the fire reignited the following morning.
Lawsuit: Initial Fire Began July 4
According to the complaint, the initial fire broke out at approximately 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, in a storage box at the warehouse. The cause of that initial fire remains under investigation.
The lawsuit alleges the facility was used to store plastic pellets in boxes measuring approximately four feet by four feet, with materials stacked as much as 16 feet deep in portions of the warehouse.
The facility’s sprinkler system activated, and firefighters initially believed the fire had been contained, according to the complaint.
However, the lawsuit alleges the sprinkler system was later shut off because of concerns that water was soaking other boxes stacked inside the warehouse and could cause them to collapse.
According to the complaint, no backup fire suppression system was in place while the sprinkler system was offline. Instead, the company allegedly initiated a “fire watch” while work was underway to replace activated sprinkler heads and restore the system.
Fire Allegedly Reignited as Damaged Box Was Opened
The lawsuit alleges that at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 5 — before the sprinkler system had been fully restored — employees or agents were removing and opening boxes damaged by the previous day’s fire.
According to the complaint, one of the boxes ignited after it was opened and its contents were exposed to the air, causing the fire to spread rapidly and eventually engulf the facility.
The lawsuit includes an aerial photograph showing a massive column of dense black smoke towering over the burning warehouse.
The plaintiffs allege the fire spread rapidly because the sprinkler system was not operating and claim the facility contained large amounts of combustible material.
Those allegations have not been proven in court.
Massive Emergency Response Followed
The fire prompted a large-scale emergency response involving multiple agencies.
According to the lawsuit, the Lubeck Volunteer Fire Department initially served as incident command. The complaint claims the local municipal water system was drained during the initial response, requiring approximately 30 fire tanker trucks to shuttle water to the scene.
An industrial firefighting service was later brought in from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and established a supplemental water line from the Little Kanawha River.
The lawsuit says firefighters pumped approximately 9,000 gallons of water per minute onto the fire as crews worked to reach and extinguish material buried as much as 16 feet deep inside the collapsed structure.
Air Quality Monitoring, Shelter-in-Place Order
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection conducted air monitoring around the fire because of smoke and particulate matter released into the atmosphere, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit says WVDEP monitored for carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, volatile organic compounds and other conditions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also reportedly assisted with additional air monitoring.
A shelter-in-place order was issued for residents in the area. According to the lawsuit, a smoke-related air monitor at a campground north of the facility showed signs of elevated particulate matter.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted at approximately 2 p.m. on July 7.
The plaintiffs claim residents and property owners suffered damages that included interference with the use of their property, contamination requiring cleanup, compliance with the shelter-in-place order and alleged respiratory or other health effects.
Lawsuit Points to Previous Fires and Environmental Violations
The lawsuit also details a history of fires and environmental violations at a separate Peoples Cartage facility near the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport.
According to court documents, fires involving calcium hypochlorite hazardous waste occurred at that facility in March and June 2025.
The complaint alleges WVDEP inspectors previously cited violations involving hazardous waste storage and the facility’s failure to operate in a manner that minimized the possibility of a fire, explosion or release of hazardous waste into the environment.
A December 2025 WVDEP consent order included in the court filing assessed Peoples Cartage a $46,380 civil administrative penalty related to hazardous waste violations.
The exhibits attached to the lawsuit also include photographs from previous WVDEP inspections showing fire-damaged areas and containers of hazardous waste. One photograph documents an open container of calcium hypochlorite floor sweepings, while another shows 14 hazardous-waste containers that inspectors said lacked accumulation dates.
The plaintiffs argue that the companies’ history at the affiliated facility should have placed them on notice of potential fire and safety risks. The lawsuit alleges the companies nevertheless failed to adequately assess or correct fire risks at the Camden Avenue warehouse.
Lawsuit Seeks More Than $5 Million in Damages
The proposed class action alleges negligence, private nuisance, trespass, strict liability and reckless conduct.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages for alleged property-value losses, loss of use and enjoyment of property, cleanup costs, business losses and personal injuries. They are also seeking punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and other relief.
Court documents state the proposed class is expected to include more than 100 people and that the total amount in controversy exceeds $5 million.
The lawsuit seeks to represent people who lived, operated businesses or owned or possessed property near the Camden Avenue facility in the shelter-in-place area or a broader area allegedly affected by smoke, ash, soot or other particulate matter.
The exact boundaries of the proposed class have not yet been determined and could later be refined using expert analysis of the smoke plume.
The lawsuit remains pending. The claims contained in the complaint are allegations, and the defendants have not been found liable for the allegations outlined in the lawsuit.
