CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A household of nine was forced to evacuate after their home located in the Great Bridge area caught on fire overnight.
The Chesapeake Fire Department said it got a call Tuesday, Aug. 17 just before 12:45 a.m. about a house fire in the 800 block of Washington Drive. This was after the residents were alerted by the smoke detectors.
Firefighters said when they got to the house, most of it was engulfed in flames. They said the home was destroyed and the fire was marked under control just after 2 a.m.
There were four adults and five children living at the home who were able to safely evacuate before crews arrived. One person was taken to the hospital to be evaluated.
A spokesperson for the fire department said the injuries weren't burn-related.
The Red Cross is helping the residents with living arrangements.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries and was treated on the scene. They are expected to be okay.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Neighbors who live across the street watched as the flames grew and tried to help.
"They were just starting to break through the front of the house above the garage," Kevin Johnson said.
"It happened really fast," Tina Redfield said. "It went up in like five, ten minutes. That's what it seems like to me."
Tina Redfield and Kevin Johnson live next door. They've known the family who lives there for years and ran over to help. Redfield says she brought the five children to her home giving them food and clothes.
"I put them in the living room and I just told them everything is going to be okay, you guys all made it out safe," she said. "I said just sit here and relax and I just try to comfort them as much as I could."
Her fiancé Johnson tried to put out the fire before the fire department arrived on the scene.
"By the time I got a garden hose on it, there was nothing," Johnson said. "You could do nothing with it."
Even Redfield's daughter ran to rescue 16 pets inside.
"I saw the little girl run in to go grab the guinea pigs and saw her mom ran behind her," Brittany Harris said. "So, I ran behind them. We got the guinea pigs and we got them out."
Redfield said her family will start a GoFundMe page to raise money for them. She said her home is open for them as they prepare to get back on their feet.
"They're awesome people, they really are and it's sad," Redfield said. "It is sad but we'll be there for them. They have somewhere to go, right to our house."
Author's Note: The above video is on file from June 24, 2021.