UPDATE (9/12/23) — The fire was deemed suspicious and is still under investigation by the fire marshal’s office, Norfolk Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Glen Williams said on Sept. 12.
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A fire significantly damaged three homes Monday morning in the Northside area of Norfolk, starting at a home that just caught fire last month after being struck by lightning.
The homes are in the 9100 block of Granby Street, near Bay Avenue, firefighters say. The call came in at 5:12 a.m.
Crews found heavy flames coming from the one home when they arrived, and the fire spread to two other homes, as well as a detached garage and storage shed.
The destruction left at a home in the 9100 block of Granby Street in Ocean View after a fire on August 14, 2023 (Norfolk Fire-Rescue photo) 
The destruction left at a home in the 9100 block of Granby Street in Ocean View after a fire on August 14, 2023 (Norfolk Fire-Rescue photo) 
The destruction left at a home in the 9100 block of Granby Street in Ocean View after a fire on August 14, 2023 (Norfolk Fire-Rescue photo)
No injuries have been reported and firefighters marked the fire under control at 6:20 a.m.
The cause is still under investigation, but a neighbor told WAVY’s Brett Hall that she heard what sounded like an explosion around 5 a.m., and it “all just went.”
“We heard a bunch of banging and popping noises and the dog on the other side was barking like he was trying to tell them something, and then my husband hollered up the stairs ‘Karen get out’ and it was so serious so I knew whatever it was — I just ran — I didn’t even get my shoes on,” said Karen Petre, who lives at one of the homes. “Just ran and we got out with the clothes on our back.”
This all comes less a month after one of the homes caught fire after being struck by lightning. Neighbors jumped into action that day to help save three dogs that were trapped inside.
