Fire erupted in a three-floor apartment complex in Richmond at 655 Westover Hills Blvd on Jan. 10 around 0943 hours and quickly esculated to a full blown three-alarmer.
Richmond's Bravest geared up and responded to find heavy fire on the first and second floor with fire extending to the third. Fire was venting through the roof.
Lt. Keith Vida of Richmond Fire Department said the inside stairwell had heavy smoke conditions.
As apparatus was positioned and initial attack lines laid, firefighters conducted a search for possible remaining occupants in the blazing building. An elderly man was discovered in his third floor apartment asleep and unaware of the fire. Firefighters quickly carried him through the building, away from the poisonous smoke, intense heat and dangerous flames to safety outside.
As Richmond's Bravest performed the rescue three apartments around them were fully involved with the working fire.
Immediate aid was rendered and the elderly man was treated for smoke inhalation and transported to VCU Medical Center.
A female resident who had evacuated herself was treated for smoke inhalation and also transported to VCU Medical Center.
First arriving apparatus included:Quint 20,Engine 17,Engine 23,Quint 24,Rescue 3 and Battalion 3.
The second alarm dispatched:Quint 22,Quint 13 and Rescue 2.
The third alarm dispatched:Quint 12 and Quint 6.
Vida said the buildings contained six apartments each. Three apartments were heavily gutted and three suffered smoke damage and loss of utilities.
About fifty residents were evacuated, about twenty-five from the burning building and about twenty-five from the building directly in front of the on-fire building. Before firefighters arrived maintence workers had already began knocking on doors to alert residents.
A challenge was access to the building because of a narrow fenced in footbridge that was over a deep culvert pipe with flowing water. Firefighters had to carefully navigate the narrow bridge and lay attack lines across it. Vida said a truck was backed up to the bridge and operations proceeded from there.
A plus in the fire Vida explained was a firewall where the middle stairwell was located. The firewall he said helped keep the fire at bay.
Over sixty firefighters battled the inferno.
Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to any other of the nearby apartments.
Fire was marked under control at 1026 hours.
Lt. Keith Vida said the initial fire investigation findings pointed to the fire cause as an unattended candle.
