Fatal Apartment Fire in Martinsville under Investigation
exterior entrance
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The Martinsville Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a structure fire that turned fatal early this morning at a small apartment complex with eight units located at 1101 Mountain Road. The apartment complex is owned by Morton Lester of Martinsville.
Martinsville Fire & EMS responded to the call of what was described as a smoke investigation at apartment number two by a resident who lives in a separate apartment at the complex at approximately 4:00 a.m. this morning (Saturday, February 6, 2010).
Firefighters used forced entry to gain access to the unit. Upon entry, they found no fire, but discovered heavy floor to ceiling smoke and high levels of heat. Smoke alarms were heard from adjacent apartments, but not from apartment number two. The lone victim was discovered laying in bed in a bedroom adjacent to the living room where it is believed the fire originated with a cigarette which was left burning on a sofa. A smoke alarm which was covered by a book was found laying on a coffee table in the living room. Fire investigators removed the book and tested the unit at the scene, finding it to be in working condition. A second smoke detector was located on a wall in the bedroom, but was damaged too extensively to be tested. According to the initial investigation, it appears that the fire extinguished on its own after oxygen levels dropped too low to sustain the blaze. Damage to the building is estimated at approximately $10,000, but this is only an initial estimate.
interior 1
The victim was later identified as Curtis Lee Hodiak Flood, a black male, age 57. An autopsy will be performed by the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke early next week. Initial indications are that the victim likely died as a result of smoke inhalation; his immediate family has been notified.
The Martinsville Police Department and Stone Ambulance provided assistance.
The attached photos are supplied by Martinsville Fire Marshal Ted Anderson and include two photos of the interior and one photo of the apartment’s exterior entrance.
