Nov. 21--Residents of a north Roanoke County apartment complex for senior citizens were forced out of their homes late Sunday by a fire that was started by discarded smoking materials, the fire department said.
Firefighters were called about 10:45 p.m. to the Edinburgh Square apartments in the 100 block of Hershberger Road, near the Plantation Road intersection, and found smoke coming from the back of the building, said Roanoke County Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Jennifer Conley Sexton.
Medics shuttled residents in ambulances to the fire station, which is on Hershberger Road across from the apartments, while firefighters looked for the source of the fire, Conley Sexton said.
Crews from six stations contained the fire to a first-floor trash room and fought it for about 30 minutes before having it under control, Conley Sexton said. Residents were later taken back to the building.
Investigators found that the fire apparently was ignited by discarded smoking materials thrown in a trash chute, Conley Sexton said.
