VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Firefighters in Virginia Beach responded to a hotel fire Wednesday morning.
Emergency communications say they received the call around 1:53 a.m. for a fire in the 5700 block of Northampton Boulevard. Upon arrival, crews found a room of the Americas Best Value Inn fully engulfed.
The fire was marked under control at 2:20 a.m. and reported out at 3:09 a.m.
Seven people were evaluated by EMS, and three of them, police officers who helped residents evacuate, were transported to a local hospital for post-smoke inhalation observation. No firefighters were reported injured.
Unlike most Virginia Beach hotels, the hotel resembles an apartment complex. This is home for a few senior citizens and families with young children. Nicole Wurlitzer, her husband, and four children escaped the fire with the clothes on their backs and one bag of clothing.
Wurlitzer said her family lost almost everything.
“Their clothing, school supplies, their chrome books they got from school, their TV and their play station, everything is gone,” said Wurlitzer, who also works at the hotel. 10 On Your Side connected the family with officials from the American Red Cross. The disaster services division helps fire victims with food, clothing, and temporary shelter.
Twelve units were damaged and about 18 people are displaced. Most families, including the Wurlitzers, have been relocated to other units within the hotel.
Fire officials say they may know the cause of the fire in one week.
