Suffolk, Va. - One man was killed and two people in a neighboring home were displaced in a large early-morning fire in Suffolk.
Crews first responded to the two-alarm fire in the 200 block of North Division Street at 3:39am. Firefighters found heavy fire at the rear of the hose and heard several small explosions from a gas grill propane tank and motorbike.
A ladder crew set-up an aerial attack at the rear of the house and crews entered the first floor where they encountered heavy fire but found no occupants. Crews then made their way to the second floor where they also found heavy fire and located the man in the upstairs bedroom. He has been identified as 47-year-old Joseph Booth. Booth lived alone at the home.
A second home also received major damage due to the intensity of the flames and two adults who lived there were displaced. They are being assisted by family members.
Engines 1, 2 and 3, Ladders 3 and 6, Rescue 1, Medics 1 and 3, Battalion 1, Cars 1 and 3 and the Fire Marshal’s Office responded.
The cause of the fire has been ruled as accidental.
