House Fire Displaces Fairfield Area Man

Weather Complicates Firefighting Efforts

A house fire in the Fairfield area left a local resident displaced and resulted in significant damage to the home last Thursday morning. Firefighters battled the blaze in the middle of a snowstorm, with slick and cold conditions complicating their efforts.

The fire broke out around 8 a.m. at the house on Viewpoint Heights, and when first responders arrived, they found flames and heavy black smoke pouring from the basement. The home’s owner, Brad Whorley, a captain with the South River District Volunteer Fire Department, was on his way home from Lowe’s when he got the call.

“It was unfortunately our house, the rental house,” Whorley described in a phone call with The News-Gazette. “Our first engine had already checked out and was on its way. They get on scene, and there is fire blowing out of the basement —heavy, heavy black smoke and a lot of fire coming out of the basement windows and door.”

The Fairfield Rescue Squad was first on the scene to assess the situation. Crews from South River, Raphine, Rockbridge Baths, and Lexington fire departments soon arrived, along with support from Augusta County’s Riverheads station.

The Lexington Fire Department was able to establish a water supply from a hydrant at the bottom of the hill after crews found the closest hydrant frozen.

“There’s a hydrant just above the house across the road … and we believe its drain was frozen up, so we couldn’t get water from it,” Whorley explained. “Fortunately, we have two hydrants on our road, so they were able to access the one at the bottom of the hill, and it honestly provided us with plenty of water for the fire.”

Firefighters deployed three attack lines to battle the flames, but the fire had already burned into the walls and was trying to spread into the attic. Whorley described the extent of the damage: “The bedroom floor at the back of the house had actually partially collapsed, and the living room floor was slowly dropping. We didn’t feel safe making an interior attack from the front door. We were able to access the house through the backside and through a couple of windows.”

After ventilating the house, crews worked to find and eliminate hot spots. “Once we were able to clear out most of the smoke, we could find the hotspots. Unfortunately, it had burned into the walls and was trying to get into the attic. We were able to rip out some walls and get that fire knocked out.”

The home’s tenant, Stephen Mc-Cormick, was found outside suffering from smoke inhalation. He was transported to the hospital and released the following day. However, the fire took a devastating toll on his pets.

“Our renter, Stephen — he was able to get out of the house safely. Unfortunately, he had many dogs, and only two of them were able to get out,” Whorley said. “One was able to run down to the neighbor’s house, and they kept that dog for a while. There’s one that’s supposedly still at large. We haven’t been able to locate that one yet, but it has been spotted multiple times.”

The community has come together to support McCormick, who lost everything he owned, including many of his dogs. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help him recover, with a goal of raising $5,000. Donations can be made at gofund.me/5bdfebcc.

Additionally, Whorley’s wife, Pam, shared a Facebook post from Logan Whorley Knick, listing essential items Stephen needs, including clothing (34 x 32 pants, large shirts), shoes and work boots (sized 10.5), and basic hygiene supplies. McCormick, who owns a landscaping business, also needs coolers for his drinks while working and a belt (size 34).

“Stephen has lost everything he had, including multiple dogs, and could use our help!!” read the post. Knick has offered to collect donated items at Lynchburg General Hospital on her workdays or meet people in Rockbridge or Augusta counties for pickup.

Brad Whorley is available for contact for donated items as well. “I can accept them on his behalf and get them to him,” he said.

The fire may have taken Stephen’s home, but the outpouring of generosity from the community is working to help him rebuild. -Snow and ice made the response more difficult, but road crews helped clear a path for emergency vehicles. “The snow makes things a little more difficult. It’s really cold, and personally, for the firefighters, it’s a slick, slippery situation. Fortunately for us, we have an excellent VDOT crew. They actually sent a truck immediately to the location and plowed our road and salted it for us so that other equipment could get in and out easily. That was great.”

Whorley said he is still waiting for official word from the insurance company, but he fears the house is a total loss.

Despite the tragedy, Whorley, his voice filled with emotion, emphasized the overwhelming community support and thanked the responding fire departments. “We are really, really grateful,” he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Virginia State Police.