AMANDA CODISPOTI and JORGE VALENCIA
The Roanoke Times (Virginia)

Firefighters rescued a person from a burning house in Northeast Roanoke on Friday night, a fire department spokeswoman said.

The person was inside a house in the 700 block of Wayland Street when firefighters arrived there about 10:20 p.m., said spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury.

When crews arrived, smoke and flames were coming from the single-story, wood-frame house. Firefighters went inside and found the person, whose name was not released.

The victim was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Bradbury said. She also did not release information about that person's injuries, and said the person's condition is unknown.

Manah St. Clair of Salem was one of several people who cleaned debris outside the house late Saturday afternoon. She declined to identify the victim.

She said it appeared the fire burned in the living room and smoke spread throughout the house. She said she had brought several cats and dogs that lived in the house to her home to care for them.

No one else was in the house when the fire began.

The cause and origin of the fire are being investigated, and fire officials estimated the damage at $36,000.

Copyright 2009 The Roanoke Times
June 14, 2009