MANASSAS, Va. -- A firefighter was hurt in a fire at an apartment building in Manassas that left roughly 40 people homeless.
The two-alarm fire at the three-story apartment building damaged 18 units so severely that they are considered uninhabitable. The residents, none of whom were injured in the blaze, took shelter in the apartment complex's clubhouse while firefighters worked to extinguish the burning building.
The Red Cross is on the scene to assist the residents and standing by to help them find shelter.
One firefighter was hurt battling the flames. The injury is not considered critical; he apparently fell partly through a floor and twisted his knee. He has been taken to a local hospital.
Fire investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blaze. It seems to have started on the second floor and spread upward, reaching the roof, but investigators are still not sure whether it actually began inside or outside the building.
Republished with permission of WJLA-TV.