Grill ashes, dumped improperly, spark Norfolk blaze

NORFOLK

Improper disposal of charcoal ashes from a family grill are being blamed for a blaze Saturday night that gutted a single-family home. No one was injured.

Jack Goldhorn, a spokesman for Norfolk Fire & Rescue, said the fire was reported about 6:30 p.m. in the 3200 block of Herbert Street. When the first firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the structure.

Neighbors who had seen the fire had alerted the residents, allowing all members of the family, a couple and their daughter, to escape safely, Goldhorn said.

It took firefighters about a half hour to control the fire, which started outside the house but extended into it. Goldhorn said the home was uninhabitable and largely destroyed.

Investigators ruled the cause to be accidental, Goldhorn said. Its source was "discarded charcoal emptied into a plastic trash can" that was then left outside, against a wall of the home.

As summer nears and more people pull out their grills, Goldhorn urged that they remember that any discarded coals should be placed "in a metal container with water, away from structures."

Goldhorn said smoke detectors in the home were functioning and that the owner had insurance. The family is staying with relatives until other arrangements and repairs can be made.