NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Newport News neighborhood had one less home standing Friday afternoon. A home on Cindy Circle was torn down after an early morning fire that killed two people and injured four others, including a firefighter.
“Devastating. Been neighbors for 20-plus years," said Mike Philipoom.
Video from a neighbor shows the house on Cindy Circle on fire around 2 a.m. Friday. The neighbor didn’t want to be interviewed but said they could hear something popping and, until they saw the fire, thought someone was shooting.
Watch: House fire in Newport News leaves two people dead
Philipoom, who lives across the street, also heard the popping sound.
“I went to the front window and looked and the right side of the house across the street from me was just engulfed in flames," said Philipoom
The popping also seems to have been picked up in audio between firefighters on scene and dispatchers.
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A little before noon Friday, work began to tear down the house.
That’s a part of going through and making sure that everything is completely out so we don’t end up with a situation where there’s a re-kindle," Newport News Deputy Fire Marshal Joe Carucci said when asked why the house had to be torn down.
According to the fire department, five adults were in the house when the fire started. Two, a husband and wife, died. The other three got out. They were believed to be related to the husband and wife but as of Friday afternoon the fire department didn’t know how.
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The fire department said they were injured but were treated and will be fine. A firefighter was treated for burns on their hands but was also expected to be okay. The cause of the fire was still under investigation Friday afternoon.
“We are currently processing through a lot of information," Carucci said.
Philipoom was close with the two people who died and their family, as were other neighbors. The loss, he said, will be tough.
“Their daughter was the same age as my daughter growing up," Philipoom said. "We’re just going to have to reach out to them and try to help them out any way we can.”
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