Early-morning fire displaces family of seven

View larger image When firefighters arrived at this home on South Middle Road north of Forestville on Thursday morning, fire was coming out of the back top corner of the structure. Photo courtesy of Shenandoah County Department of Fire and Rescue

By Sally Voth -- svoth@nvdaily.com

FORESTVILLE -- Seven family members were displaced from their home by an early-morning fire Thursday.

The Red Cross has put the family -- a mother and father, four teenagers and a grandparent -- up in a hotel, program director Lorrie Rhoton said Thursday afternoon.

The fire was reported at about 4:20 a.m. at 6468 S. Middle Road, Shenandoah County Department of Fire and Rescue public information officer John Collins said in a news release.

"When units arrived, there was fire coming out the upper part of a back corner of the two-story farmhouse," the release says. "The house's seven occupants had safely evacuated before emergency crews arrived. Firefighters entered the house and fought the fire from inside."

It says there was no water supply in the rural area, so firefighters set up a water shuttle.
Besides the county, crews from Mt. Jackson, New Market, Orkney Springs, Timberville, Conicville, Edinburg and Woodstock responded to the scene, according to the release.

Everyone was able to leave by 10 a.m., and the fire remains under investigation.

Rhoton said the family was in shock at the fire scene, but was doing better when she checked on them later.

"They're in a hotel, and then we gave them a debit card for food and clothing for the seven of them," she said. "We put them up for three nights, and then we kind of advise them of where else to go after that. So, we're working the family."