HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Henrico County resident was taken to the hospital and two dogs needed medical attention after a house fire early Wednesday morning.
At about 7:22 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9, firefighters with the Henrico County Division of Fire were called to a home in the 5400 block of Seminary Avenue for report of a house fire. According to officials, they were dispatched after a neighbor called 911.
When they arrived, crews found heavy fire pouring from the front of the home and its roof. Firefighters quickly began efforts to put out the flames and marked the scene as under control in less than 30 minutes, per fire officials.
One resident was home and asleep when the fire began. According to fire officials, they were woken up by their smoke detector and were able to escape before firefighters arrived.
That resident was taken to an area hospital for treatment of mild smoke inhalation.
Two dogs were also in the home when the fire began. Firefighters found them unresponsive, but first responders were able to revive them with oxygen. They were taken to an area veterinarian for medical care by Henrico Animal Protection.
Two other residents were not home at the time. All of those displaced by this fire are being assisted by the Red Cross.
In the wake of this incident, Henrico Fire Marshal Scott Sutton took this opportunity to remind county residents of the value of having a functioning smoke alarm in their homes.
“What we had today was a situation where a smoke alarm provided a resident with an opportunity to exit a burning structure before it was too late,” Sutton said. “We encourage everyone to test their smoke detectors regularly and place at least one on each level of their home.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
