(Pittsylvania County, Va.) – A Sunday morning fire destroyed a house a Pittsylvania County couple had called home for decades, injuring one firefighter.

Volunteers from several departments responded to the house fire in the 1400 block of the Vandola Road about 8:30 Sunday morning. Fire and rescue agencies from across the county fought the fire.

Investigators believe the fire started from a portable heater the couple was using to unfreeze some pipes. Dallas and Jeanette Womack built the home in the early seventies and were able to escape unharmed, but their house and its contents were destroyed.

One firefighter was injured while battling the flames after a wall collapsed on him. He was treated in the emergency room and released.

Units from Brosville, Riverbend, Tunstall, Mount Hermon, Bachelors Hall and the Mount Cross Volunteer Fire Departments responded. They were assisted by the Danville Fire Department, which sent a tanker to the scene.