SUFFOLK, Va. — Two people are without a home and a downtown business is destroyed after a fire started in Suffolk Monday night.
Suffolk Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the 700 Block of N. Main Street for a fire around 10:05 p.m. Crews arrived a few minutes later and found heavy fire and smoke from a large commercial building. The fire was visible from the roof.
“I’ve never seen nothing like that before,” said Calvin, who watched the fire ignite.
He said while eating at the Wendy’s on North Main Street, he started to smell smoke.
“Then I come outside and the whole building across from Wendy’s was on fire,” he said.
After firefighters made an interior attack to search for occupants who were believed to be inside, an evacuation order was given by command at 10:50 p.m.
“At that time, the property owner was here. He confirmed that everybody had evacuated the building,” said Battalion Chief Raphael Brown.
No injuries have been reported to firefighters or civilians. The building had an apartment on the second floor. The two residents were home at the time of the fire but were able to exit the structure on their own.
The fire was marked as under control around 3:40 a.m. Fire crews are continuing to work hot spots in the building as of 5 a.m. Suffolk Fire & Rescue said the building had partially collapsed and the structural integrity of the building was a concern.
Battalion Chief Brown said the items inside like tires, batteries, fuel, and other vehicle parts sparked concern for crews on scene. So, they called the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM).
VDEM later concluded that the run-off water and byproducts from the building did not contain any hazardous materials and the Department of Environmental Quality was contacted at 1:30 a.m.
“As we put on as much water as we did, it kind of dissipated a lot of the hazardous materials,” Brown said.
Portsmouth Fire Department's Hazardous Material Team also assisted with controlling the run-off. Around 9 a.m., crews began to demolish the building to extinguish flames they couldn’t see.
“Since the roof collapsed on a good portion of the building, it makes it hard to get to certain spots on there,” the battalion chief said.
Other area businesses expressed their support for the shop owner. The owner was on scene but didn't want to comment at this time.
The 1200 Block of N. Main Street to the intersection of E. Constance Road is closed due to multiple supply lines from fire hydrants to fire engines that cross the street. There is no estimate as to how long the street will remain closed.
The fire remains under investigation and crews have not found a cause or origin of the fire.