Blaze damages downtown Williamsburg home Tuesday

Williamsburg firefighters responded to the home of Pauline Croley on South Second Street Tuesday.

Even though the home that she has lived in for nearly 46 years caught on fire Tuesday afternoon, Williamsburg resident Pauline Croley says she feels pretty lucky.

She credits Eva Welch, who stays with her during the day, with getting her out of the burning building.

"She stays with me during the daytime, but I stay by myself at night. If it had been during the night time, it would have been falling in on me because I sleep like a log," Croley said. "If it happened in the middle of the night, I would have been by myself."
Welch said there had been dryer problems, and that a repairman worked on the dryer Friday.

"It wouldn’t work, and he came back this morning and worked on it," Welch said. "I threw a load of towels in there, but it wouldn’t work."

Welch said she thought she smelled smoke, but looked in the dryer and behind it, but didn’t see anything until she went upstairs to get a box to store some Christmas decorations.

"When I got up there, it was full of smoke. So I came back down really quick and told her to get a good warm coat and to get her shoes on because we had to get out," Welch said. "I called 911. By the time we got out that house was full of smoke."

Williamsburg Fire Chief James Privett said smoke was rolling out from the eaves of the house when about a dozen firefighters arrived at the 215 South Second Street residence about 1:43 p.m.

Privett said that the electrical fire started around the washer and dryer area, and then spread up the back wall into the attic area of the two-story, wood-framed home. The home suffered minor fire damage and smoke and water damage throughout.

"We’re very lucky. I’m sure glad this wasn’t a two or three a.m. fire," Privett added.

No one was injured during the blaze.