PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Pastor and mayoral candidate, Barry Randall, is displaced after his house caught fire Tuesday afternoon.
"I'm devastated, but it could have been much worse," said Randall, who previously ran for Portsmouth Mayor. Randall went to the ER Tuesday afternoon because he couldn't stop coughing from the smoke in his lungs. He was given oxygen and breathing treatments.
The Portsmouth Fire Department said the fire started in the kitchen Tuesday afternoon just after 2 p.m. The extent of the damage is contained to the kitchen, but the rest of the house has smoke damage.
The People's Pastor, as Randall is known, is currently staying in a hotel until he finds an apartment to live in. He said he had plans to sell the house, which will now be expedited.
