UPDATE: Cooking fire cited as cause of Roanoke apartment fire that displaces 34

UPDATE:  Roanoke fire officials say last night’s blaze at the Valley View Village apartments was caused by a kitchen grease fire, and the dollar loss is set at $375,000.  Click here to read the full Roanoke Fire-EMS news release

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Roanoke Fire-EMS says crews rescued five people from an apartment fire Tuesday night and two went to the hospital with critical injuries. The fire happened in the 4800 block of Rutgers Street, in the Crossroads Mall area, around 10:30 p.m. Crews found people hanging out of third floor windows. All five rescued were injured, with two going to the hospital for smoke inhalation. The fire displaced 34 people from 12 damaged apartments. The American Red Cross is assisting 18 residents. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Velvet Hall has details: