VIRGINIA BEACH — Nobody was injured, including a dog that was rescued, during a fire Tuesday morning.
The fire broke out in the 300 block of Pratt Court shortly before 9:30 a.m. When firefighters entered the home they saw the blaze extending from the fireplace into the living room, fire department spokesperson Art Kohn said in a news release. Firefighters were able to prevent it from spreading into other areas of the home or to adjoining townhomes.
A woman who was home at the time of the fire escaped uninjured. She told firefighters that her dog was still inside. They searched the home and found the dog hiding inside of a bathroom.
The dog, while nervous, was not injured after being rescued.
“The dog was scared, it was stiff,” firefighter Brady Ramstad said in a video posted on VBFD’s Facebook page. “I started petting the dog letting it know it was OK, I was here to help. At that point, I was handed a towel or blanket, covered the dog and the dog realized at that point it was OK.”
Kohn said smoldering ashes from a previous fire may have ignited the wooden frame outside of the fireplace.
VBFD is reminding residents to have your fireplace or chimney inspected at least once per year. They also say to dispose of ashes in a metal or non-combustible container and to wait at least 72 hours before throwing ashes into the trash.
