NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Two people were injured and at least 32 people have been displaced as the result of a two-alarm fire Tuesday afternoon at an apartment complex on Sewells Point Road in Norfolk, an official with Norfolk Fire-Rescue said.
The Norfolk Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief said “due to the winds, the fire quickly escalated up into the attic area and then started moving across the building, started getting the exposure on the left hand side, we call it the Bravo side. We had crews go interior for that as well and were able to save that structure. This one here, though, it’s going to be a total loss, unfortunately.”
Photos that came into the WAVY newsroom Tuesday afternoon showed a dramatic apartment fire in Norfolk that had flames emitting from the roof, and a dramatic rescue from the second floor of one of the apartments there.
Overnight, firefighters deemed the apartment a total loss and tore down the building. Now all that remains is a pile of ruble.
One resident, Kristal Pena, said her father is the only maintenance worker for the entire complex — he believes this was a cooking accident. Several other residents told 10 On Your Side’s Nick Broadway that they had issues with their ovens smoking up after turning them on.
Wednesday morning, firefighters confirmed the fire was an accident caused by “unattended cooking.”
Gabriel Journey described the rescue to 10 On Your Side’s Deja Parker, saying his work in the Navy prepared him to lend a helping hand.
“The fire started in the bottom and had spread up, so they were trapped,” Journey said. “There was a group of about four other gentlemen that were there. I had them lift me up and I climbed up the side of the building and helped get her out. It’s what I trained [for] at work on a daily basis, so the number one priority was just getting as many people out as quickly as possible.”
Crews were called to an active fire in the 7100 block of Sewells Point Road at the Mira Mar Apartments around 2:07 p.m., and when they arrived, they found heavy fire on the second floor of the apartment complex, quickly spreading due to high winds, according to Glen Williams, battalion chief and public information officer with Norfolk Fire-Rescue.
Crews also received a report from a dispatcher of someone trapped on the second floor, but they were able to rescue that person, who was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Williams said. Another person was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No firefighters were injured.
A resident of the Mira Mar Apartments believes the fire could have been avoided if the management company would have addressed her previous issues.
“There’s been multiple people with the same issues,” the woman told 10 On Your Side’s Deja Parker. “My kitchen actually caught on fire three weeks ago. I think it’s an electrical issue running through the walls to the stove, ’cause when the fire catches, it’s always black smoke and black smoke is electrical. I told the man when he came to complete the work order, but he tried to allege that it was just the burner, the element.”
She said with multiple people in the apartment complex congregating outside following the fire, she learned that “multiple of us have the same issue with our stove.”
The resident would like to see management take better care of the property.
“I feel like the people that own this property, which is Covenant Property services, they need to reevaluate their property staff because clearly the work orders aren’t being handled correctly,” she said.
The city of Norfolk said traffic lanes were shut down between Johnstons Road and Kennedy Street.
WAVY’s Drone 10 flew over the apartment complex Tuesday afternoon a couple hours after the fire started. Video shows firefighters extinguishing the smoldering fire, which destroyed most of the roof on the entire building.
The Red Cross was at the scene and helping the displaced residents. The Fire Marshal’s office said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but they believe it was accidental.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.