Yorktown, VA 23692
A man is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after a fire Thursday afternoon at a single-story residence on the 700 block of York Warwick Drive in York County.
Capt. Paul Long with the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety said a call came in of heavy smoke coming from the residence shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday. Crews were on scene with minutes, and found heavy smoke coming out of all the windows and the roof of the house.
They then conducted an interior search Long characterized as “aggressive,” where they found the man unconscious. He was taken to a local hospital. Two cats died in the fire.
Crews got the fire under control within about 15 minutes of arriving on scene. Long said the house suffered moderate to severe heat and smoke damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Lt. Dennis Ivey of the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office said at this time, there’s no reason to suspect foul play as a cause of the fire.
No emergency personnel were hurt during the response to the fire, and the man was the only person who was inside.
Long said York personnel received assistance from emergency crews stationed at the nearby Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. By increasing the number of responders, the risk of heat stroke declines. Fire crews from Newport News filled in at the Yorktown fire station in what is a common practice to ensure the area remains covered by emergency personnel.
“As always, we greatly appreciate the assistance they provided,“ Long said.
