13 units battle fire in Raleigh

Bigger response is weather strategy

RALEIGH -- A fire that erupted during Friday's scorching heat gutted a North Raleigh townhouse and damaged three other townhouses, officials said.

Neighbors spotted the blaze in the rear of the townhouse about 3 p.m. No one appeared to be at home when the fire started, according to residents and Division Chief Danny Poole with the Raleigh Fire Department.

John Takacs said he was leaving his home nearby when he spotted a group of anxious women near the smoking townhouse in the 2200 block of Banks Hill Row, which is in the Bedford at Falls River subdivision.

The women weren't sure whether someone was at home, so Takacs knocked on the front door and rang the doorbell before breaking in the front door, he said.

Takacs raced through the home, searching for people, but found no one, he said. Soon after, the fire department arrived and began battling the fire.

Thirteen units responded, which is far more than what would typically respond to a fire such as this one, Poole said.

The extra units were called so that firefighters could work shorter shifts and not suffer from heat exhaustion.

Nearby neighbors also opened their three-car garage to fire and EMS crews so they could sit in the building's shade, rest and enjoy ice, water and Gatorade.

EMS units were also on the scene with ice, water and stretchers in case anyone needed medical assistance.

No firefighters suffered injuries while extinguishing the fire, Poole said.

The blaze was under control about an hour after units responded to the scene.

The fire tore through the back of the townhouse, melting a fence, eating through the roof and charring the walls of the structure.

Three units attached to the home where the blaze started also sustained smoke and some fire damage, Poole said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.