Virginia Beach, Virginia firefighters responded to a reported building fire on Pembroke Blvd. just after 2:00 AM on June 15, 2004. The 200 x 200 foot building was occupied as a billiards parlor.
Once on scene, firefighters found heavy smoke conditions and Battalion Chief Stanley Foster struck the second alarm. Ladder 2 set up on Side D, Ladder 9 and Engine 10 (squirt) set up on Side B. Engine 9 positioned at the C/D corner and flowed their deck gun as heavy fire leaped into the night sky.
As the second alarm units arrived, a staging area was established and Command utilized all crews until the fire was knocked down. Engine 10, using their master stream, knocked a tremendous amount of fire down in the rear. A collapsed hazard on Side A, a leaning stone chimney and the unstable roof did not allow fire crews to enter.
The fire was knocked down and crews began the task of opening up exterior walls to extinguish the hot spots.
One firefighter was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Special thanks to fire companies from Chesapeake and Norfolk that filled in empty Virginia Beach stations.
For more photos: go to www.vbfd.com.
