Fire damages home near Southland Drive in Lexington
A fire at a home on Sheridan Drive in Lexington Tuesday evening displaced two people and sent smoke wafting over nearby businesses on Southland Drive.
Dalton Black, who lives two doors down from the home on the 300 block of Sheridan said he was heading inside his own house when “I heard crackling,” and checking it out, he said he found the back porch of his neighbors’ home on fire.
He said he told his wife to call 911, then returned and knocked on his neighbors’ door but then went on inside, where he said he found the homeowner and two dogs.
“I was trying to help him get out,” Black said.
He said the heat of the fire broke the glass from the windows, and smoke was pouring inside.
“It got so black I couldn’t see nothing,” he said. “I’ve never experienced that before.”
He said one of his neighbors’ dogs ran away in the commotion, and Black chased after, eventually catching up to the pup near the Dollar General store on Southland Drive, where he said two other people helped him catch the dog.
“I just took off running when this one took off running,” Black said as he held the dog in his arms.
Battalion Chief Kevin Austin of the Lexington Fire Department said the structure fire was reported by neighbors at 5:45 p.m.
“When we arrived, we had pretty heavy smoke coming out of the roof,” Austin said.
He said no injuries were reported. The home sustained “significant” fire damage on the second floor and in the attic, and there was smoke damage on the first floor.
Austin said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but he said it was believed to have started near the rear of the home.
The man who was at home at the time of the fire told Austin he was sitting in the front of the house when he smelled smoke and went to the back to check it out.
“The whole back end of the house was on fire,” Austin said.
