NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Three people died in a fire in the 600 block of Collinwood Place early Thursday morning, the chief of the Newport News Fire Department confirmed to News 3.
Firefighters responded to a 911 call for an apartment fire in the area just before 5 a.m.
Crews arrived to find a fire in a second floor apartment; three people were inside.
Firefighters rescued the victims, but all three died from their injuries. Their identities will not be released until their next of kin have been notified.
News 3 sent a crew to the scene Thursday evening. There doesn't appear to be any outward damage to the apartment.
A neighbor told us a mother and her two young sons lived there and said he's saddened to learn they're no longer here.
"Three people that lived there - a young lady and her two boys. They were kids. They were young kids. It was a shame. A shame. It was a low blow," said Clarence, a neighbor.
He tells us he saw more smoke than fire coming from the apartment this morning.
The fire department is planning a fire safety walk in the neighborhood early next week.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Newport News Fire Marshal’s Office.
There is no further information.
Fire officials are reminding people of the importance of having a working smoke detector in their homes. They should be placed inside bedrooms, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.
Free smoke alarms are available to Newport News residents. To request a free smoke alarm, residents can call the Fire Marshal's Smoke Alarm Hotline at 757-975-5454.
