When the first crews arrived they found smoke coming from the second floor of a two-story house and the couple who lived inside in the front yard. Firefighters from Hollins, Masons Cove and Fort Lewis stations, along with a Roanoke City unit had the flames under control in about 30 minutes.
A couple and their dog escaped without injury from the house after the man woke up to a blaring smoke alarm. He then heard popping and cracking and realized the house was on fire. He woke up his wife and they escaped with their dog and called 9-1-1.
The fire was contained to the second floor front bedroom and investigators are now blaming an extension cord for sparking the fire. Damage estimates are figured to be about 10,000 and includes fire, heat and smoke damage to the second floor. The couple is displaced for now.
“Although a house fire is tragic, this has a positive message about how smoke detectors can avoid the loss of life and more significant property damage,” says Deputy Fire Marshal Scott Jones. He adds “This fire could have been a lot more serious than it was. Being the middle of the night, we could have had fatalities and a total loss of house had it not been for the working smoke detector.” Fire officials encourage citizens to test their smoke alarms monthly to make sure they are in good working order.