Historic home catches fire in Downtown Staunton: Two injuries, extensive damage

A structure fire caused extensive damage to a 19th century home near Downtown Staunton on Sunday morning.

The two occupants of the two-story home, located at 310 Berkeley Place, were able to escape the 3:51 a.m. fire, but both were taken by Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad to Augusta Health Center for smoke inhalation.

The male occupant was transferred to the Medical College of Virginia at VCU for further treatment, according to a report from the Staunton Fire Department.

The fire extended from the first floor to the attic and took an hour to contain, though firefighters remained on scene for several hours looking for hidden pockets of fire.

There were no working smoke alarms in the residence.

Fire crews returned later in the day on Sunday at the requests of the owner and neighbors and discovered insulation in the attic was smoldering.

Extra units were requested to the scene due to the type of construction and difficulty accessing parts of the attic and wall spaces.

Crews remained on scene for extensive overhaul for just over two hours.

There is no damage estimate at this time due to the home being consider a historic site. The home was built around 1894.