Thermal imaging saves VB man from fire

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Virginia Beach fire crews rescued a man from a house fire Monday afternoon in the 5300 block of Marlinton Drive, in the Kempsville section of the city.

Virginia Beach Fire Battalion Chief Tim Riley tells WAVY.com the mentally handicapped man was rescued from the home using a thermal imaging camera. Riley says the man was found in the back of the home within two minutes of fire crews arriving at the house.

"The thermal imaging camera shows a heat signature and that highlights where the patient was, said Riley."
 

He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for smoke inhalation.

Crews extinguished the fire a short time later.

The victim, who was alone in the home at the time the fire started, and two others were displaced as a result of the blaze. The damage is estimated to be about $60,000.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.