CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Multiple families were displaced following a two-alarm apartment fire in Chesapeake on Wednesday afternoon. While there were no fatalities, for some families, the flames took everything from their lives.
The fire broke out at the Thrive Apartment Complex in the Deep Creek area of the city a little after 1 p.m. Chesapeake Fire officials said the fire began in one of the units on the second floor, but quickly spread to at least eight adjacent units through the attic space.
"When our first units arrived from station 9, which is right around the corner, they found thick black smoke coming from the second floor and the roof line," said Captain Steve Bradley of the Chesapeake Fire Department.
The fire ultimately impacted ten apartment units, displacing multiple families, authorities said.
"We were able to contain the fire within the eight apartments that the firewall protects," Bradley said. "The fire wall protected those eight apartments from the next set. So, very fortunate that fire wall was there. The downside of that is that there were extensive damage to the 8 apartments surrounding and adjacent to the fire apartment."
One person was treated for minor burns, but did not need to go to the hospital to be treated.
The fire was officially marked out around 3 p.m.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials believe that it may have been electrical. The Red Cross had caseworkers sent to the scene in order to help with relocating residents.
"Everything that we just worked for, it's just gone in an instant," said resident Xzavier Henderson.