Fire charred a duplex in southwest Roanoke and sent a man to the hospital Wednesday evening.

A fire in the 1500 block of Chapman Avenue started about 6:30 p.m. in the left side of a house with two separate living spaces in it.

Battalion Chief Dale Barker said about 24 firefighters went to the house, which initially had flames shooting through the roof.

Barker said the fire was extinguished after about 15 minutes. He and other firefighters were cleaning up the scene about 20 minutes after the blaze stopped.

Barker said he believed the fire started in the attic of the house, which he said is a common attic shared between both parts of the duplex.

One man was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with mild injuries from smoke inhalation, Barker said.

He said both parts of the duplex had sustained smoke and water damage, though the left side had most of the fire damage.

The Red Cross is assisting four people displaced by the fire. Investigators were investigating the fire's cause.

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