BRISTOL, Va. — Five fire departments spent more than four hours last weekend battling a fire at a vacant business just north of Bristol, Virginia.
Fire crews arrived at the scene on Lee Highway across from John Battle High School, just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, and stayed until after 1 a.m. Monday, according to Washington County Fire & Rescue Chief Chuck Harosky. No flames could be seen, and firefighters discovered the fire after a firefighter fell through the floor, he said.
The two-story building was once home to Oaks Family Medicine and Novus Laboratories. Harosky said he thought the fire had been burning for a while, and the HVAC unit may have caught fire.
The building belongs to Ed Whitaker, 78, a former Bristolian who now lives at Satellite Beach, Florida, who said he has insurance on the structure.