PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – One person was taken to the hospital as the result of a fire to a Jefferson Street home in Portsmouth Saturday evening.
Portsmouth Fire Rescue and Emergency Services says firefighters were dispatched to Jefferson Street, off Deep Creek Boulevard near the Emily Spong Center, around 10:15 p.m.
Navy Regional Fire, were also dispatched to the home.
Firefighters found heavy fire coming from a second-story window on the side of the home.
Portsmouth Fire and Rescue said firefighters had to make an aggressive fire attack to locate two victims.
Mary Marshall says her son David Marshall was rescued by firefighters.
“The flames, I was told, were so bad the staff couldn’t go upstairs. If you go to the top of the stairs, you have to turn and go back to get to his room. There were flames in the way, so the firefighters, I understand had to hose it and got in his room and carried him out because of the way David is, he’ll sleep through that. He is lucky to be alive,” Marshall said.
Marshall learned about the fire after receiving a call last night.
“She called me and let me know there was a fire,” Marshall said. “Oh my god, here we go again. This time, it’s a fire. He’s autistic and he’s had seizures since he was two years old, so it’s always some urgent thing.”
David was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
“Right now, he is still in the ICU. You can still see the soot around his nose and around his face. He is a little sluggish. He isn’t as perky as he usually is,” she said. “They have to make sure his lungs are okay. He coughs and his nose is very congested. Autistic people don’t like to be touched so to create ways to approach him and try to get his airway more clear.”
Portsmouth Fire and Rescue said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Crews made an aggressive interior fire attacked and Portsmouth Fire said they found two victims – one on the first floor and one on the second floor – when they searched the home.
Portsmouth Fire said Sunday that both were taken out of the home and evaluated by medical crews, with one person being taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. There is no word on the condition of that person at this time. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.