They were returning from work on traffic wreck when they spotted smoke rising
By Bill Lohmann
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Copyright 2007 Richmond Times - Dispatch
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Henrico County firefighters returning early yesterday from working a traffic wreck on Interstate 95 spotted smoke rising from a neighborhood near the intersection of U.S. 1 and Interstate 295 in the northern part of the county. They investigated and found the rear of a house in flames in the 1400 block of Berrymeade Hills Court.
Firefighters kicked in the front door, woke the two occupants, a father and daughter, and ushered them to safety, said Henrico fire Capt. Doug Reynolds. The house was equipped with working smoke detectors, but the fire, which started on the deck and had spread along the back of the house and into the attic, had not breached the interior of the home.
The fire, brought under control after 30 minutes, caused an estimated $25,000 in damage, Reynolds said. There were no injuries.
“They were very lucky the fire department just happened to come by,” Reynolds said. “It was 7 o’clock on a Sunday morning, so no neighbors had seen it. Nobody was going to work. Nobody was going to church yet.
“It was all in the timing. Five more minutes, and it could have been a big difference.”
The firefighters who saw the smoke are based at Station 11 on Hungary Road.
The fire was caused by a gas grill on the deck that had been used the previous evening but apparently hadn’t been turned off, Reynolds said.