Rustburg home burns to ground

A Campbell County family is out of a home after their house burned to the ground Tuesday night in a blaze that tied up firefighters from three fire departments.

Campbell County Deputy Fire Marshal Randall Johnson said authorities don’t know what caused the blaze in the house on Old Rustburg Road, but family members said the fire probably started in the basement.

Johnson said the fire call came at 11:23 p.m. Tuesday, and firefighters from the Rustburg, LynDan Heights and Concord volunteer fire departments, along with members of Rustburg Rescue Squad, responded.

Johnson said the two-story house, built in the 1920s, was heavily involved by the time the first units arrived at 11:36, and there was little that could be done to save it.

“There’s not a wall standing,” he said on Wednesday.

“With the old construction of the house, it just contributed to the fire spreading throughout it very quickly.”

Johnson said there are no fire hydrants in the area, and that water had to be shuttled in with tankers. He said the house was so consumed by the time firefighters arrived that hydrants probably could not have saved it.

Johnson said he didn’t know whether the family has insurance on the house, and wasn’t sure how many people lived there.

The Historic Virginia Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping the family with lodging and necessities.

According to Red Cross officials, the organization is giving aid to five people after the fire.

Johnson said the blaze is still under investigation.