GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. — Two adults and a child are dead after a fire destroyed a garage apartment in Gloucester County early Sunday morning, according to the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies and Gloucester Volunteer Fire & Rescue responded to the 4200 block of Hickory Fork Road just after 2:40 a.m. and found a detached garage with an upstairs apartment fully engulfed in flames.
Crews learned that three people — two adults and one juvenile — lived in the apartment and were believed to be inside.
Gloucester Volunteer Fire & Rescue Chief J.D. Clements said one victim had connections to the department, making the response especially difficult for the firefighters who responded.
“I just can't emphasize how hard it is at any time, but to deal with somebody that you know on a daily basis, it just makes it that much harder,” Clements said.
Officials have not released the names of the victims. Clements said a woman, her boyfriend and his young daughter died in the fire.
The woman was the daughter of the family who owns the property next to the garage apartment. That family also used to volunteer with Gloucester Fire, Clements said.
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Clements said a fire department member lives directly across the street and saw the garage engulfed in flames when he stepped outside.
“He said the whole garage was just engulfed in flames at that point. Then they heard several, small explosions,” Clements said.
Officials later learned the explosions came from oxygen tanks stored in the lower level of the garage.
“The lady that was deceased, she had some lung issues and was on oxygen from time to time,” Clements said.
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Firefighters put out the fire in about 20 to 30 minutes, but recovering the three bodies took much longer.
“We had to bring in outside equipment to assist in that phase of the scene. And it took a took a toll on our people,” Clements said.
More than 25 people responded to the scene, Clements said.
The Virginia State Police and Gloucester County Sheriff's Office have not released the cause of the fire. The investigation remains ongoing.
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