3 seriously injured after being trapped in Suffolk condo fire, officials say

SUFFOLK, Va. — Three people — a child and two adults — were seriously injured after being trapped inside a burning Suffolk condominium early Sunday, when heavy fire blocked all the exits and firefighters used ladders to pull them to safety, officials said.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue crews were dispatched to the 2000 block of Nicklaus Drive just after 5:10 a.m. for a report of a condominium on fire.

When the first crews arrived minutes later, they found heavy fire coming from the rear of the occupied multi-family building.

With flames blocking every way out from inside, crews used ladders to pull three people to safety. As those rescues were underway, other units began an "aggressive attack on the fire."

Firefighters then searched for another person who was reported missing, but did not find anyone else inside the building.

The fire was marked under control just before 6:30 a.m. Three people were taken to area hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials said the blaze grew to three alarms because of the amount of fire, the number of neighboring condo units threatened by the flames, and the rescues.

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