ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, March 22, 1996                 TAG: 9603220071
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-1  EDITION: METRO 

SAVED BY THE BELL

LENGTH: Short :   23 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  CINDY PINKSTON/Staff. Smoke detectors alerted residents 
          to a pair of fires early Thursday in Southwest Roanoke. About 3:50 
          a.m., a smoke alarm awakened Taft A. Walker of 1223 Rorer Avenue 
          S.W. Walker discovered a fire in his living room, fled his house and
          called 911 from a neighbor's house. His two-story house was totaled 
          by the fire. Walker was uninjured. Shortly after 5 a.m., a fire in a
          unit at Bridgeway Gardens Apartments (above), 2307 Memorial Avenue 
          S.W., triggered a smoke alarm, which alerted resident Jerry Rigsby. 
          Rigsby escaped and was treated at the scene for minor burns. Both 
          fires apparently were caused by short circuits, according to fire 
          investigators. color.