BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE
Investigators are working to find the cause of a fire that destroyed a Bedford County home that belonged to a local family for generations.
It started Friday morning on Charlemont Road, which is in the Big Island area.
The 18th century home had a lot of significance to the community and to the family, especially to the firefighter who grew up there and worked to battle the fire.
Taylor Neas was one of the first firefighters on scene, working alongside five other fire departments. The flames started in the attic before quickly ripping through the rest of the home.
Because of the home's age, it was made of mostly dry, old wood that made it easy for the fire to spread.
Bedford Fire Department Deputy Chief Matt Scott says wind and cold temperatures made conditions worse. The fire hydrants these crews needed were frozen.
"The unfortunate thing is there are no hydrants in this location," Scott said. "We had to go try to get water from dry hydrants and of course with the temperatures as low as what they've been in the last couple of days, they were frozen. So we had to go to plan B and get water from another source."
Scott says water from a nearby pond provided much-needed relief. Despite hours on scene, the home is a total loss.
The family says they will continue to salvage whatever they can from the home before it has to be demolished, but for now they are just thankful that no one was hurt.
ORIGINAL STORY
Firefighters are on the scene of a house fire in Bedford County Friday morning.
Multiple units responded to the fire at a home on Charlemont Road, which is in the Big Island area.
The fire is under control, but crews are expected to stay there for several more hours.
The fire and smoke caused extensive damage to the house.
The Forest Volunteer Fire Department tweeted that crews have had issues with hydrants being frozen.
This is a developing story. 10 News has a crew on the way to learn more.