No one hurt in downtown Roanoke house fire

Fire happened in 300 block of Day Avenue SW

ROANOKE, Va. – Flames shot through the roof of a home in the 300 block Day Avenue, just before 11 p.m.Wednesday.
    
They turned the night sky orange and were visible from several blocks away.

It didn't take long before the flames spread to a second house next door and for the Roanoke Fire Department to sound a second alarm.

"Heavy black smoke coming from the building and it quickly ignited involving the backside of the building and going to the whole second floor. When that occurred, it also caught 349, the house next door to it, on fire, which is only about 3 feet away. So it got into the attic of that building," said Roanoke Fire Chief David Hoback.

Neighbors say the flames were shooting into the air almost as high as the house itself.

"I was up in the attic where I live. I smelled some smoke, looked outside and saw a bunch of flashing lights. Open up the window in the fire on the second floor was already about midway up those trees. It was insane," said Dustin Reichard, who lives across the street.

The man who lived in the second house that caught fire got out safely with his dog.

The damaged homes, as well as those on either side, are all owned by Robert Kulp.  Although he's best known for his starring role on the TV Show "Salvage Dogs," this was a private project.
   
"We were renovating several houses here on Day Avenue. Was just looking at plans yesterday on it getting ready to do work on the house that burned," said Kulp.

Fortunately, the fire was only about a block and a half from the fire station, allowing crews to extinguish it down quickly.

"When you get to buildings on fire like that you have to get dual the manpower to make sure you don't have two losses versus one," said Hoback.

Hoback says no one was hurt in the blaze, but the man and his dog will need to find a new place to stay.

The cause remains unknown at this time.

 


About the Authors:

John Carlin co-anchors the 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on WSLS 10.