Overview
- A large fire erupted on Wednesday morning at a home on Virginia Avenue near 59th Avenue and Thomas Road, leaving five people without a place to live and causing heavy charring to the roof and near-total loss at the back of the house.
- Phoenix Fire Department crews arrived within minutes of 911 calls and gained control of the blaze only a few minutes after arriving.
- Firefighters used ladder companies to cut holes in the roof and deployed handlines to stop the fire from spreading to closely spaced neighboring homes.
- Neighbor Gerardo Orozco ran to warn residents, checked the house for people and pets and recorded video of the flames, and officials say everyone inside escaped with no reported injuries.
- Crews continued to extinguish hot spots and assist homeowners in retrieving salvageable items while investigators work to determine where and how the fire started.