Fire at Roanoke Business Causes Concerns Over Chemicals, But Employees and First Responders Remain Safe

On Thursday, a fire broke out at a Roanoke business and has been classified as accidental by Roanoke Fire-EMS. The incident occurred at 5:48 p.m. at the Virginia Transformer Corporation on Glade View Drive NE. Smoke was visible coming from the building, but there were no visible flames reported by WDBJ7 crews on the scene.

Firefighters quickly assessed the situation and determined that foam would be necessary to extinguish the flames due to the materials inside the building. Despite this, the fire was brought under control within an hour, and all employees were able to safely evacuate. One civilian and one firefighter were evaluated on the scene but did not require hospitalization.

Roanoke Fire-EMS expressed gratitude to several agencies and organizations that assisted in responding to the incident, including Roanoke County Air 9, Salem Hazardous Materials, VDEM Hazardous Materials Officer Brian Thurman, the Roanoke Fire Marshal’s Office, E-911 Center, and the Roanoke Police Department. Additionally, Mission BBQ provided food and water for all units on the scene.

The extent of damages caused by the fire is yet unknown at this time.