Virginia Firefighters Ladder-Rescue 3 from Third-Floor Fire

Three people trapped by flames on the third floor of a burning Virginia condo are alive today because firefighters didn't wait for the fire to move.

Suffolk Fire & Rescue crews arrived at the Nicklaus Drive condominium just after 5 a.m. on October 18 to find heavy fire blocking every exit. Two adults and a child were trapped inside with no way out.

Firefighters immediately raised ground ladders to the third-story window. While some crews climbed up to pull the family to safety, others attacked the flames that had spread from a second-floor deck into the attic.

Wind whipped the fire toward neighboring condos, melting vinyl siding and forcing additional evacuations. The blaze eventually grew to three alarms as firefighters protected exposure units and searched for a potentially missing occupant.

They brought the fire under control at 6:28 a.m., just over an hour after arrival.

The Bright Side

Fire officials say two simple things gave this family the precious minutes they needed to survive. Their smoke alarms worked, waking them when escape was still possible. And the bedroom door was closed, slowing the smoke and heat that would have otherwise killed them before rescuers arrived.

The rescued family suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Not a single firefighter was hurt despite the aggressive rescue operation and challenging fire conditions.

While three families are now displaced and the American Red Cross is helping them rebuild, the outcome could have been devastatingly different. The Suffolk Fire Marshal's Office is investigating what started the fire, but the ending of this story is already clear.

Working smoke alarms and closed doors turned what could have been a tragedy into a rescue.