Firefighters battle two blazes Thursday night
Published 10:11 pm Thursday, January 24, 2013
![Bute Street](https://www.suffolknewsherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2013/01/Bute-Street.jpg)
Firefighters work to contain a blaze in a Bute Street home on Thursday night. The fire department also responded to another fire less than two hours later.
UPDATE: Both fires have been ruled accidental.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue fought two separate fires that started within two hours of each other on Thursday night.
Both fires occurred in residential neighborhoods west of the downtown core. The first call came in at 5:42 p.m. from the 400 block of Bute Street. Firefighters arrived four minutes later to find the home fully engulfed in flames, with neighbors fearing someone was still inside the home, according to a city press release.
Firefighters searched the residence but soon discovered three occupants had escaped — one by jumping from a second-story window of the multi-family home. The victim was transported to Sentara Obici Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Four adults were displaced in the fire and are being assisted by the Hampton Roads chapter of the American Red Cross.
The second incident, at the Colander Bishop Apartments at 925 Brook Ave., came in at 7:07 p.m. Firefighters arrived five minutes later, according to the press release.
The fire was restricted to the attic and affected three separate apartments. Everyone evacuated safely from the building. There were no injuries in this fire, and two adults and two children are also being assisted by the American Red Cross.
The fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of both fires. The fires are about a mile and a half from each other, but city spokeswoman Diana Klink said there is no reason at this time to suspect they are related.