Henrico fire displaces three people

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) -It’s been a busy weekend for fire crews. There have been reports of multiple fires across the Richmond Metro region including one in Chesterfield on Saturday that displaced two people and another Friday night in Henrico that left three people displaced from their homes.

Henrico Fire Department responded to a fire on Kingsland Road on Friday night. They’re saying that weather may have been a reason why the blaze spread as quickly as it did.

“There was wind up to about gusts of 25 miles per hour and a steady wind of about 17 miles per hour in the north...that wind really blew into the house which is what we kind of contribute to the total loss,” explained Justin Finan with Henrico Fire Department.

The cause of that fire and others across the area are still under investigation. However, the increase in fire calls that have been happening over the weekend is a trend Henrico Fire has been seeing this winter season.

“Henrico especially has had a significant number of fires really since the first of December really none of them have to do with, thus far, actual heating elements or heating appliances but we’re still seeing a lot of cooking fires and improperly discarded smoking material,” Finan said.

The increase in fires is what’s encouraging Virginia Red Cross to push another message. After helping the three people who were displaced from the Kingsland Fire where their home was deemed a total loss, the Red Cross is encouraging people to get insurance so they have an easier time rebuilding what they lost.

“At the American Red Cross one of the things that we’re constantly encouraging people to make sure that they have both renter’s insurance or homeowners insurance if they own their home. It’s really critical after these types of events however at the red cross we work with families regardless of their insurance situation,” said Jonathan McNamara with Virginia Red Cross.

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