Three homes were destroyed in separate fires across Rockbridge County over a five-day span last week, displacing multiple families and prompting extended responses from fire crews across the region.
The first fire occurred Wednesday, April 15, at 5:34 p.m. at 495 Collierstown Road. According to Rockbridge County Fire-Rescue Chief Nathan Ramsey, Lexington firefighters arrived to find heavy fire coming from the rear of the structure. Crews from multiple departments worked for hours to contain the blaze.
No one was home at the time of the fire, but one dog was found deceased. The house was declared a total loss. The American Red Cross assisted the family of four with immediate needs, and crews cleared the scene around 8 p.m.
A second fire was reported Friday, April 16, at 5:20 p.m. at 49 Appledore Lane in Natural Bridge. Responding units encountered heavy fire coming from the front of the residence upon arrival. Crews again mounted a multi-department response and remained on scene into the evening.
No one was inside the home, and it was deemed a total loss. The Red Cross again assisted displaced residents with temporary resources.
The third fire occurred early Sunday morning, April 19, at 386 Spring Valley Road in Lexington. Crews were dispatched at approximately 1 a.m. and found heavy fire coming from the two-story home, working into the early morning hours to bring it under control.
Neighbors alerted the occupants, who were able to evacuate safely. The home was destroyed, and crews remained on scene until about 5:30 a.m. As with the other incidents, the Red Cross assisted the affected family.
In two of the incidents — the Collierstown Road and Appledore Lane fires — the causes were determined to be accidental and likely related to improperly discarded cigarettes, according to fire officials. The Spring Valley Road fire was also ruled unintentional, with a possible electrical issue involving an HVAC unit identified as the cause.
Across the three incidents, a wide network of local agencies responded. Departments on scenes included Lexington, Effinger, Kerrs Creek, Natural Bridge, Glasgow, Rockbridge Baths, Buena Vista and Buchanan fire departments, along with Rockbridge County Fire-Rescue and the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office. Virginia State Police and VMI EMS also assisted at the Collierstown Road fire, while Glasgow Rescue provided support at that scene as well.
