A smoking accident was the cause of a fire Wednesday afternoon that displaced two residents at a Hillsboro apartment complex, according to Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District Public Information Officer Branden Jackman.
Paint Creek was dispatched to 104 Taylor Court at 5:31 p.m. and its arrival on the scene within two minutes was what prevented the damage from being worse, according to Jackman.
Upon arrival firefighters found flames coming out the front window of apartment B, Paint Creek Fire Chief Bradley George said. Firefighters could be seen knocking out the front windows and pulling down the front soffit on the apartment to maintain the fire.
Jackman said the apartment occupant was smoking and accidentally ignited the couch. He said that when firefighters arrived on the scene they found the couch on fire and flames climbing up the walls. But he said they were able to knock the fire down quickly and contain it to that room.
“The guys put a heck of a stop on it. It could have been a lot worse,” Jackman said.
George said only two of the three apartments in the small, one-story building were occupied.
Firefighters said the occupant of apartment B was Teresa Wholley and that she was the only person who lived there. They said she was displaced by the fire and that the resident of the other occupied unit was going to stay with relatives temporarily until the smell of smoke could be removed from that apartment.
The fire departments from Lynchburg and Leesburg were also dispatched to the scene. Jackman said Lynchburg firefighters arrived on the scene and Leesburg firefighters were called off en route.
No injuries were reported.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.
