ALLEGHANY COUNTY (WSLS 10) - A man and his two children have lost everything after a fire destroyed their house early Monday morning in Clifton Forge.
The fire happened just before 4 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14 at a home located at 418 Ridgeway Street, according to the Clifton Forge Fire Department.
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Fire officials said upon arrival, the entire back of the two-story house was engulfed in flames. Luckily, no one was home at the time.
The flames quickly spread to the adjacent house, which was approximately "6 inches" away from the other, fire officials say.
The house is considered condemned and is "totally gutted". The house next door has minor damages from the fire.
According to fire officials, homes in this area are all very close to each other. In the case with this fire, officials said the older homes were not built with fire stops in the walls (also known as balloon construction). If a fire happens to get in to a wall downstairs - it can quickly spread to the attic in a matter of minutes.
Approximately 50 firefighters from the Clifton Forge Fire Department, the Selma Fire Department, the Sharon Fire Department, the Iron Gate Fire Department, the Covington Fire Department, and the Clifton Force Rescue Squad responded to the scene. It took crews around 2.5 hours to knock down the blaze.
The family was being assisted by the American Red Cross Monday.
The fire is not considered suspicious at this time. The cause is under investigation by the Fire Marshals Office.
If you're interested in helping the family, a GoFundMe account has been set up.