Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 19, 1994 TAG: 9402210336
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
"It's just a blessing it didn't happen later at night," Whitt said Friday.
The fire, in the apartment of Kevin and Renee Hendricks, began when "a spark of some kind" ignited the gas seepage, Whitt said. The gas stove had been installed a few hours before the fire, but Whitt refused to speculate on whether that had anything to do with the loose connection or the fire.
"I can't say [the loose connection] happened when they installed the stove or if it was loose before," he said. There was no explosion because the gas leak was very small, he explained.
The Hendrickses and their two children were not home at the time. There were no injuries, but building occupants had to find other accommodations for the night.
"It didn't turn out to be as bad as it could have been," said Charles Nimmo, president of F&W Management in Roanoke, which manages Willow Woods on Allen Avenue.
Before Whitt made his determination, Nimmo had said he thought the fire was electrical and not related to the stove. He had no repair estimate. F&W personnel will be at the site over the weekend to assess damage, he said.
Fire Chief Martin "Jigger" Roberts praised his firefighters' quick work in getting the blaze under control. More than 20 firefighters responded to the alarm.
"Our guys did a fantastic job on that fire," he said Friday. "We had it under control within 10 minutes."
After flames broke through the roof, Roberts' crew used a cherry picker from the city's Electric Department to shoot water on the three-story structure from above. Electric Department personnel, working late repairing ice storm damage, had responded to Roberts' call to turn off power at the building.
The Fire Department's ladder truck has been undergoing repairs in Roanoke since December, but a ladder unit from Christiansburg already was on its way. Roberts said Fairlawn Fire Department personnel stood by at the city fire station to handle additional calls.
Roberts said the city's aerial truck should be back within a week. He said the truck's engine has overheating problems that have proved time-consuming to diagnose.
City Councilman David Worrell, a veteran volunteer firefighter, said Friday it was unfortunate the city's ladder truck was still out of commission. He suggested the two new pumper units the city has on order might have come in handy, but Roberts said the 1970s-vintage units still in service did their jobs. "The new pumpers would not have been a factor [in fighting the fire]," he said.
by CNB