The barn was destroyed, but no farm animals were in it, officials said. The fire was under control, but firefighters were still at the scene at 10:40 p.m., according to 911 officials.
Traffic was detoured off Williamsport Pike for several hours by the Sheriff's Reserves to allow the fire departments to get to water. Bedington was assisted by volunteers from Baker Heights, Hedgesville and personnel with the Berkeley County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management.
Newcomb said he spoke directly with West Virginia State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis on Monday, asking that more deputy fire marshals be sent to help with investigation of the fires and several other suspicious blazes that have happened within the last month or so.
The Eastern Panhandle is currently served by one deputy state fire marshal who has to travel from Romney, W.Va., west of Morgan County to investigate, officials said Tuesday.
Berkeley County Sheriff Kenneth M. Lemaster Jr. said that the injury of volunteer firefighters, his biggest fear, should be alarming to area residents.
"The public needs to take (this) personal and help out," Lemaster said of investigation efforts.
Four-wheel all terrain vehicles were seen leaving the area just before the fire was reported and Lemaster said deputies were following up on those reports. No arrests were made Tuesday evening.
"I pledge my whole department's cooperation to (investigate this)," Lemaster said.
The sheriff said he already had a meeting scheduled for today with fire officials to discuss the circumstances of two fires reported over the weekend and now have a third to investigate.
On Saturday night, firefighters responded to a fire at a two-story home off Williamsport Pike north of Spring Mills that was vacant, but had been renovated, police and fire officials said.
The home received significant interior damage, Lemaster said.
On Sunday night, firefighters responded to the Rodeway Inn off Warm Springs Avenue just outside of Martinsburg to put out a blaze in a trash trailer next to the business and another fire that been started in a bathroom inside.
The lounge and the hotel had to be evacuated, but the fires only caused minor damage, Newcomb said.
The three fires since Saturday have happened almost exactly a month after five fires in one weekend were deemed to be suspicious.
Fires on Douglas Grove Road damaged two homes on March 7. Later that evening, a fire caused significant interior damage to Maidstone on the Potomac, a historic home directly across the Potomac River bridge connecting U.S. 11 to Williamsport, Md. An unoccupied farmhouse between Martinsburg and the community Arden, W.Va. along W.Va. 45 also burned that day.
On March 8, a fire destroyed an old fruit packing shed near Heffle Motor Co. off W.Va. 9.
No arrests have been made in those fires, Lemaster confirmed Tuesday.
The sheriff encouraged residents who may have seen anything suspicious to contact Berkeley County Crimesolvers at 304-267-4999 or Harmison at the Sheriff's Department at 304-267-7000.
