Suffolk News-Herald

An elderly woman injured in an early morning fire Friday is in stable condition in Obici Hospital’s intensive care unit.

Ruby Daniels, 71, and her husband, Michael Hillard, 52, were taken to the hospital after the blaze swept through their home at 857 Cypress Chapel Road around 5 a.m.

Daniels is being treated for smoke inhalation and facial burns, said Capt. Jim Judkins, spokesman for the Suffolk Fire Department. Hillard was treated and released from the emergency room.

Several caged pet birds and a rabbit perished in the fire that originated on the enclosed porch where the animals stayed, Judkins said.

The couple was alerted to the fire by their dog, Spot, who survived the blaze.

Fire had engulfed more than 50 percent of the couple’s brick ranch house when firefighters arrived on the scene, Judkins said. The fire quickly spread to the attic, which was filled with a variety of personal items. Fueled by those items, flames spread the entire length of the house and burned through the roof in several places, he said.

Investigators have not determined the cause of the blaze, Judkins said. Damage estimates total $160,000 for the house and $25,000 for the contents.

No working smoke detectors were in the house, he added.

Friday’s house fire is the second this week in the Whaleyville community. Around 3 a.m. Wednesday, fire destroyed a home in the 1700 block of Airport Road, leaving renter Tracey Warmack and her two children homeless. An electrical short is believed to have triggered an electric heater in the bedroom to catch on fire.