A fire in the University Heights apartment complex Friday resulted in about $30,000 worth of damage to the building, said Howard Lagomarsino, assistant chief of the Albemarle County Fire-Rescue Division.
The blaze began about 1 a.m. Residents of the complex called 911, and the police department was on the scene within five minutes, Albemarle County Police Sgt. Darrell Byers said.
"The first officer saw there was a lot of smoke coming from the basement," Byers said. "It was unknown whether there was someone inside."
Byers said the apartment door was "bubbling" from the fire's heat.
"They evacuated the upper apartments, [and] once they had the upper apartments empty, the firefighters made entry into the apartment and extinguished the fire," Byers said.
Lagomarsino declined to comment on any injuries or hospitalizations. He said the "fire was accidental - either a candle or a small electrical appliance started it."
-compiled by Anna Milligan
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