VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Beach Fire Department responded to a residential fire in the 2000 block of Salem Road Friday afternoon.
Crews arrived at the scene at 3 p.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the garage, which you can see in these photos provided by WAVY viewer, John Brown.
He told 10 On Your Side he was driving to pick up his kids at the time.
“I noticed the smoke coming out of the house and then I noticed the flames and I was just watching and I’m like, what was going on,” he said.
He said he then parked at the house next door after hearing someone was still inside.
“When I parked, I noticed an old woman being escorted away from the house,” Brown said.
Brown said he then heard a strange noise.
“I heard a muffled boom, and I assumed maybe that was the gas line going, or it might have been the car that was on fire,” Brown said.
The fire department released photos showing the damage, which is extensive. In addition to the structure, the fire also damaged three vehicles.
It took an hour before the fire was marked out. Three adults and two dogs were displaced as a result of the fire.
No injuries were reported.
Brown said even though it’s amazing no one was hurt, he still feels for the homeowners who lost everything in the blink of any eye.
“I’ve actually never, ever seen a house actually up in flames before,” Brown said. “And I felt sorry for the homeowners. They’re basically watching the house going up in flames with all of their personal belongings. I just felt really bad about it.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
