Lynchburg homes damaged by fire

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - Three houses and an apartment unit have been damaged by fire in Lynchburg since Tuesday night.

Lynchburg firefighters first responded about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to the 400 block of Stafford Street, where smoke and fire were coming from a bedroom in a single-story house. Fire crews extinguished the fire quickly, according to Lynchburg Fire, but the home was heavily damaged by fire, water and smoke, and the homeowner was taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

The fire was ruled accidental, but according to fire crews, “crowded conditions inside the home made it more difficult to pinpoint an exact cause.”

Another fire about an hour later was reported in the 1000 block of Coronado Lane. Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the single-story home, with six people already safely outside when crews arrived.

The fire appears to have started in the basement, according to fire crews, and it took about an hour to get it extinguished, also due to crowded conditions inside the home, which was heavily damaged. The fire has been ruled accidental, with crowded conditions again preventing fire crews from determining a more exact cause. No injuries were reported.

Another fire, early Wednesday morning, damaged an upstairs apartment of a home in the 2200 block of Memorial Avenue. Unattended cooking materials on the stove are believed to have started that fire, according to Lynchburg Fire, with one person treated on scene for smoke inhalation.

Improperly discarded smoking materials led to a fire Wednesday afternoon, according to Lynchburg Fire. Firefighters were called about 1:30 p.m. to the 1500 block of Pierce Street, where they found a fire at the front of a house containing upstairs and downstairs apartments.

Crews quickly extinguished the fire, saying damage was limited to the front of the building, but both apartments are considered uninhabitable due to smoke and water damage, and the residents are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross with temporary housing.

Investigators say the four fires do not appear related.

Lynchburg FD is crediting Monelison Volunteer Fire Department and Brookville-Timberlake VFD for filling two city fire stations while city personnel and apparatus were tied up.