VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A three-story home in the Sandbridge section of Virginia Beach is severely damaged following a fire.
According to the Virginia Beach Fire Department (VBFD), crews arrived at the scene, located in the 2900 block of Sand Bend Road, at 1:15 a.m. on Wednesday, July 5.
Upon arrival, crews say they found the home engulfed with flames and smoke. The fire was under control roughly an hour later around 2:20 a.m. Over 45 firefighters were involved in the response, VBFD says.
Firefighters rescued two adults from the home's balcony and took them to a hospital to get treated for minor injuries, VBFD says. No firefighters or pets were injured.
As a result of the fire, three adults are displaced, according to VBFD.
Full video of aftermath of devastating fire that destroyed Sandbridge home:
On the morning of Wednesday, July 5 around 6:30 a.m., a News 3 crew saw what was left of the home after the fire tore through it.
More pictures and videos can be seen in the image wheel above.
After the fire was contained, neighbor Cecil "Ben" Lane spoke with us about how the destructive fire devastated the Sandbridge community. He recalled first seeing the house, owned by his neighbor Audrey, ravaged by the fire.
“We heard fireworks all night, parties all evening. I was crawling into bed and [started] drifting off and heard my daughter scream ‘Audrey's house is on fire!’ I came running out onto my deck and what I saw was a house fully engulfed in flames. [The] flames were about 20 feet in the air,” said Lane.
Lane said he, and other community members, felt awful for their neighbor Audrey, especially once they saw the extent of the damage.
“I could feel tears fill up my eyes. I could feel a weight dropping down, not a good one. I know how that house looked before. To think she lost everything, and all her keepsakes of her husband's, it got to me. I said a quick prayer right there and I said, ‘God please help us all; we need you to help us get through this,'" said Lane.
Lane tells us Audrey lost her husband about a couple of years ago, and says it's upsetting that his belongings were likely lost in the fire. He also says Audrey just went through cancer, and he feels awful that she's been dealing with such misfortunes.
He emphasized that the Sandbridge community is going to offer all the support they can to their neighbor as she navigates the tragic loss of her home.
“Whatever she needs. We will start with her, trying to make sure she's taken care of. She still has to fight her cancer. Whatever she needs we’ll be there... She’s got people on this street that will help her," said Lane.
Later on Wednesday, we spoke with Audrey's cousin, Gregory Gatewood, who came from out of town to spend the Fourth of July with his family. Gatewood said on Tuesday, Audrey had a full house for the holiday with 18 guests, including five kids ages 16 and under.
"[The Fourth of July] was a glorious day and we were enjoying the holiday, grilling, singing songs and having a good time like any other family," explained Gatewood.
Gatewood says the loss of the house is upsetting, but the fact that everyone got out safely is what's most important.
"You never know what life brings life brings what it brings. We should celebrate each other as much as we can it doesn't necessarily need to be a holiday, it should be every day," says Gatewood.
The cause of the fire is currently unclear, and VBFD is investigating. At this time, firefighters have ruled out a lightning strike as a possible cause.
This article will be updated accordingly. Stay with News 3 for updates.
