January 26, 2010

Firefighters are trying to figure out what sparked a house fire in Albemarle County early Tuesday morning at the 3300 block of Sutherland Road in North Garden.

Firefighters responded to calls of a fire around 2:00am Tuesday. Crews had to use tanker trucks and a nearby pond to extinguish the flames, because they had no fire hydrants around. Poor ground conditions also hampered their efforts, since fire trucks had to be parked on the driveway.

Four people were inside the home when the fire broke out, but they were able to escape unharmed. However, there are pets who still remain unaccounted for.

The house was entirely destroyed, and is now unlivable. The Red Cross has been asked to help out.

Fire officials say the blaze is still under investigation. There are unconfirmed reports that the home residents were students at the University of Virginia.