PULASKI, Va. – More than 10 people were displaced after a fire engulfed a three-story apartment building Wednesday evening in downtown Pulaski.
The blaze began around 4 p.m., prompting emergency response from multiple departments.
“We saw it when it first started and then it just went up,” said Elois Austin, a Pulaski resident. “It was bad flames.”
Pulaski Fire Marshal Michael Bruce said one resident was initially trapped inside the building.
“There was somebody that was still inside that was technically trapped. We quickly went from fire suppression to a rescue,” Bruce said. “She came out okay, she actually came back later, I spoke to her, she is doing great.”
Anthony Akers, Pulaski County Assistant Administrator, whose office is adjacent to the apartment complex, witnessed the incident.
“My initial thought was make sure people were out of the building,” Akers said.
Local residents expressed concern for their displaced neighbors.
“A lot was going through my mind at that time,” Austin said. “Where are they going to go? What are they going to do? And I know one woman I think she had two small children.”
Jamie Ianson, another Pulaski resident, described the scene.
“We heard the fire engines; the sirens and we walked over there and there was like flames coming out of the third floor of the apartment building and it was where our friend used to live,” Ianson said.
Bruce said the Red Cross is assisting affected families with temporary housing.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.