15 people displaced after fire at Essex Village apartments

HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - Fifteen people were displaced after they were rescued from a balcony after their apartment caught on fire.

This happened just after 10 p.m. on Monday at Essex Village Apartments, located in the 100 block of Engleside Court, near the intersection of Laburnum Avenue and Richmond-Henrico Turnpike.

Crews arrived on the scene within four minutes and found heavy smoke coming from a two-story apartment building. The fire department received information that several people were trapped on the second floor. They were able to escape through the balcony with the use of the firefighter's ladder.

Firefighters also searched the apartments affected by the fire. Crews pushed their way through the extreme heat conditions to reach the fire, and they quickly put out the blaze.

Smoke from the fire traveled to surrounding apartments, and firefighters said eight units were damaged as a result. Apartment management and the American Red Cross are working with the displaced residents. No one was injured.

The fire marshal is investigating what caused the fire.

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