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UPDATE: One person dead after fire breaks out in 5-story apartment building in Portsmouth

Posted at 1:13 PM, Dec 06, 2014
and last updated 2014-12-08 13:03:18-05

Portsmouth, Va. – One person is dead after a fire at an 5-story apartment building Saturday morning.

Crews were called to the 400 block of King Street around 8:50 a.m. to reports of a structure fire.

The fire was contained to one apartment on the fourth floor. The apartment was occupied by the victim, who has been identified as 67-year-old Ralph Pemberton. The fire was in his bedroom where he was found.

An exact cause of death has yet to be determined.

The majority of the residents in the building were elderly — some managed to walk out on their own, while others had to be protected from the fire and walked out because they weren’t able to get out on their own.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.