Williamsburg, VA 23188
James City County and Williamsburg Fire and EMS units responded to a structure fire Monday night that caused an estimated $32,000 in damage to an apartment building on the 100 block of Dehaven Court in the Lafayette Square apartment complex.
Nobody was injured in the fire.
The cause of the fire was determined to be an unattended candle in a bedroom of one of the 10 apartments in the building, according to a news release from James City County. That bedroom sustained moderate heat damage, while the rest of the apartment received extensive smoke damage.
Fire and EMS units responded around 10:50 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from one of the building’s residents who heard a smoke alarm going off in the apartment where the fire started. That caller witnessed smoke coming from the front door of the apartment and could not get anyone to answer the door, according to the release.
Firefighters entered that apartment and encountered low heat and zero visibility. After conducting a search of the apartment, they were able to get the incident under control within 20 minutes, according to the release. Nobody was found inside the apartment during the fire department’s search.
The Red Cross dispatched representatives to help the two residents of the apartment who were displaced by the fire. The incident was estimated to destroy about $10,000 worth of personal property within the apartment.
No charges are pending against the residents of the apartment as the fire marshal’s investigation deemed the fire to be accidental.
