1 Child, 2 Adults Rescued From Suffolk House Fire With Serious Injuries

SUFFOLK, VA – Three people, including a child, were rescued from a flame-filled condo in the City of Suffolk on Sunday morning, according to local fire authorities.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue was dispatched to a condominium fire on the 2000 block of Nicklaus Drive at 5:12 a.m. on Sunday, the department says.

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Crews arrived to find three trapped occupants and heavy fire blocking all exits. Ground ladders were used to rescue the occupants from a third-story window, the department says, as windy conditions caused the fire to spread quickly from an exterior deck on the condo's second floor to the home's interior and attic.

Meanwhile, the fire was beginning to affect two neighboring condos, melting their vinyl siding. The occupants of those homes were evacuated.

Ultimately, three alarms were required to extinguish the fire, which was brought under control by 6:28 a.m. Firefighters were alerted to a possible fourth missing occupant of the affected home, but initial searches revealed no further victims.

The three rescued occupants were taken to local hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. No firefighters were injured. The department credits working smoke alarms with alerting the occupants to the fire and a closed third-floor bedroom door with aiding their survival until help arrived.

The Suffolk Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause and origin of the fire.

Engines from Newport News and Chesapeake assisted in the incident.