Explosion caught on live interview with Portsmouth fire official

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – A massive warehouse fire in Portsmouth that broke out Wednesday morning also resulted in thousands of power outages for nearby residents and businesses.

Dominion Energy confirmed it temporarily disconnected more than 3,000 customers for safety reasons. All Portsmouth city offices will be closed Wednesday because of the power outage.

Portsmouth Fire and Rescue responded to the scene of the large fire on Duke Street around 9:30 a.m. Crews arrived at the commercial structure fire to find the building up in flames. More than 80 firefighters from multiple cities were dispatched to assist with this fire.

10 On Your Side Keagan Hughes spoke live with Deputy Chief Joseph Teartt from the Portsmouth Fire Rescue & Emergency Services. During the interview, you can hear what sounds like an explosion.

Video above shows an interview with Portsmouth fire spokesperson. Around the 1:48 mark, an explosion can be seen in the background.

Photos from the scene show heavy smoke and flames coming from a building labeled “Windows of the World.”

WAVY’s Keagan Hughes spoke with the son of the building owner who said the fire started outside the building, but fire officials have not confirmed that information at this time.

NOTE: The video above shows Drone 10 footage of the fire on Duke Street.

Teartt said the crews were conducting a defense operation and the fire was not under control as of 10:35 a.m. The cause is still under investigation.

“At this time, we have approximately 85 firefighters on scene from Chesapeake, Navy Regional and, of course, Portsmouth Fire and Rescue and Emergency Services,” Teartt said.

No injuries have been reported.

While at the scene, multiple transformers on nearby power lines were blown, with over four pops heard in the area.

“What we established is a collapse zone and all folks are operating outside of that collapse zone,” Teartt said.

Teartt said they are evacuating people in the exposure area and their vehicles. Dominion Energy and Columbia Gas have been notified.

Fire crews in the area are asking people to stay away from the building to keep safe.

A nearby lab, the Metropolitan Solutions, told WAVY they had to shut down for the rest of the day.

Multiple WAVY viewers reported seeing the billowing smoke from the interstate.

No additional information on the incident has been released at this time. Stay with us on air and online for updates throughout the day.

Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.

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