Members of the Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad were busy last Thursday, responding to a structure fire in Guinea around 6 p.m., and returning to the area about 11:30 p.m. to aid in the rescue of a stranded boater.

According to AVFRS spokesperson Robert Parlett, firefighters were notified of the structure fire on Kings Creek Road while they were responding to an automatic fire alarm at nearby Achilles Elementary School. He said the fire was contained to an upstairs bedroom of the home.

No injuries were reported during the incident, Parlett said, and firefighters rescued a pet turtle from the home. The home did suffer smoke and water damage. Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Inc., responded mutual aid.

Later that night, AVFRS was called to assist the U.S. Coast Guard with a stranded boater. “A motor boat operating in Mobjack Bay had run hard aground and the occupants were stranded,” Parlett said. “Our crew launched Boat 3 (a 12-foot Zodiac) to assi...