NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — One person is dead and another was hospitalized after a fire at multiple duplex homes early Sunday, according to Newport News Fire officials.
We're told fire crews recieved a call at 1:47 a.m. for a fire on the 300 block of 51st Street. When firefighters arrived, they found a muti-unit house fully engulfed in flames.
Fire officials say the fire spread to two neighboring houses, damaging three duplex homes total.
We're told one person did not make it out of the fire and died. Another person was transported to the hospital but is in stable condition.
Among those affected is Yolanda Waller, whose sister lived in one of the duplexes that caught fire. Waller says her sister and her two children were able to escape, but only with the clothes they were wearing.
“I got a text this morning that her house had burned down,” Waller said. “I came over here, and everything is gone.”
“They literally had to get up out the bed and just leave,” she said. “I just talked to her yesterday, everything was fine, and to wake up this morning and find out her house burned down with nothing, it’s a hard thing.”
Although the flames were extinguished, the scene remained active into Sunday morning. Newport News fire crews, police, and the American Red Cross were all on scene, as firefighters continued going in and out of the damaged homes.
According to Newport News Fire Chief Wesley Rogers, the extent of the damage has made it difficult for crews to conduct a full search of the buildings.
Fire officials say six units were damaged in the fire. Affected families are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.
