A Clarksburg family says the city ignored repeated warnings about a problem property on North 24th Street in the months before a Thanksgiving weekend fire destroyed the home they had lived in for more than twenty years.
The early morning fire on November 28 damaged one home at the intersection of North 24th Street and Williams Avenue and forced the evacuation of a neighboring house, according to reports from WVNews and WKMZ radio. No injuries were reported, and emergency crews also dealt with live electrical lines down near the scene. WV News+2103.3 FM | WKMZ News+2
Local television outlet WBOY also reported that a Clarksburg home was “heavily damaged” in an overnight fire in that same area and aired video of the damage. Yahoo+2NewsBreak Local+2
According to Camden Cutlip, that house was his parents’ home at 1116 North 24th Street, where they have lived for about 21 years. In a detailed public statement, he says the fire began at a vacant house next door that his parents had been reporting to the city for months.
Family describes vacant house as long-running hazard
The Cutlips say conditions at the neighboring property had been deteriorating. They describe unlicensed vehicles, tall grass and a new roach problem that they believe was tied to the vacant structure next door.
According to Camden, his mother called Clarksburg Code Enforcement on October 14, 17 and 20 and left messages about the property. His father followed with a detailed email on October 21 outlining the issues.
The family says they never received a return call or a visit that addressed their specific concerns.
City media reports on the November 28 fire confirm the basic incident details but do not mention any prior complaints, inspection history or cause of the fire. NewsBreak Local+3WV News+3103.3 FM | WKMZ News+3
Early morning fire on day after Thanksgiving
WVNews reported that a residence near the intersection of North 24th Street and Williams Avenue caught fire around 1:30 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving. Firefighters from the Clarksburg Fire Department responded, with mutual aid from other agencies, and were photographed securing the scene. WV News+1
WKMZ’s story states that one home was damaged and an adjacent home had to be evacuated, with less significant damage to the second structure. WKMZ also notes that no injuries were reported. 103.3 FM | WKMZ News+2103.3 FM | WKMZ News+2
The short WBOY piece, visible through syndicated listings and video platforms, describes the incident as an overnight fire that left a home heavily damaged but likewise does not discuss prior code issues or a specific cause. Yahoo+2NewsBreak Local+2
Camden says he arrived that night to find the house he grew up in burning while his parents watched from their car as firefighters worked. He credits the Clarksburg Fire Department and Sgt. McGlone of the Clarksburg Police Department with getting his family out and protecting the scene quickly.
FOIA records raise questions about enforcement
After the fire, the family filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the city to find out what had been done about the neighboring vacant house before the fire.
According to Camden’s summary of the records the family has received so far:
- City documents show that code violations at the neighboring property were noted as far back as August.
- An inspection was opened but not completed as a full, thorough review of the property.
- The backyard, where the family says some of the specific hazards were located, was never entered or checked.
- There is no record in the materials they received of a fire hazard assessment at the vacant house.
Camden says the city’s FOIA response included some call logs that confirm calls were made, but did not include notes describing the content of those calls or the substance of any follow up. He says the only inspection detail they were given was a brief summary with photos from one visit, and that the code officer in that visit did not enter the portion of the property where his parents had reported problems.
The family argues that under Clarksburg’s property maintenance standards and West Virginia law, the city had a legal obligation to investigate and address unsafe conditions at the vacant house before they turned into a threat to neighboring homes. cityofclarksburgwv.com+2West Virginia Code+2
Municipalities in West Virginia are expressly authorized by state code to adopt and enforce ordinances for unsafe, unsanitary and dangerous structures, including repair, closure or demolition when needed to protect public safety. West Virginia Code+2West Virginia Code+2
City side not yet reflected in public reporting
In the local media coverage reviewed by the News & Observer, there is no public response from Clarksburg officials addressing the family’s specific allegations about inspections, enforcement decisions or call handling prior to the fire. NewsBreak Local+3WV News+3103.3 FM | WKMZ News+3
The family says they are still waiting for the city to provide a complete response to their FOIA request, including any additional records of inspections, notes from calls and internal communications about the vacant house.
City records and any official response will be important to confirm exactly what was done between the first documented violations in August and the fire in late November, and whether the city followed its own policies and timelines for dealing with potentially hazardous properties.
Broader concerns for neighbors of problem properties
Beyond their own loss, the Cutlips say they are speaking out because many other residents live next to properties they believe are unsafe or neglected.
They argue that their experience shows why neighbors should document every call and email about a problem property, keep copies, and push for written responses and clear timelines instead of assuming the system is working in the background.
Their view is that they did what residents are asked to do. They reported the problems. They used the city’s process. They waited. The outcome, in their case, was a burned home and displacement rather than a resolved code case.
About the Facebook post
Much of the detailed timeline in this article comes from a public Facebook post by Camden Cutlip.
In that post, he:
- Identifies his parents’ house as 1116 North 24th Street and says they lived there for more than 21 years.
- Lists the dates his mother called Code Enforcement and the date his father emailed about conditions at the vacant house next door.
- Describes what the family says they learned from their FOIA request about prior violations and incomplete inspections.
- Thanks the Clarksburg Fire Department and Sgt. McGlone of the Clarksburg Police Department for their actions on the night of the fire.
- Urges other residents not to assume that following the process guarantees action and calls for the city to be held accountable.
City officials have not yet publicly answered those specific allegations in the news reports currently available, and the family says they intend to keep pressing for answers in future council meetings and public forums.
By Gary Keith
Clarksburg News & Observer