‘I wouldn’t wish this on anybody’: Neighbors react after Richmond fire kills 73-year-old

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Neighbors say they're scared and saddened by the death of their elderly neighbor in an early morning fire on Tuesday.

Richmond safety officials confirmed a 73-year-old man was found dead inside the home in the 5000 block of Schutte Avenue after they received reports of the residential fire. A man on scene that said he was the victim's brother identified him as Roger Wayne Pritchard.

Rosario Pacheco has lived next door to Pritchard for years, and said she was the one to call 911 after waking up to the smell of smoke around 3:30 a.m.

"I looked out and I had saw the red flames and smoking coming out of the house next door to me," Pacheco said. "So I had immediately called 911, because I knew that there was an elderly person living there and I just wanted to make sure everybody was safe."

When Richmond Fire Department crews arrived, they found heavy fire conditions and immediately began fire suppression and search-and-rescue operations. When they found Pritchard, he was pronounced dead on the scene.

"He was just a regular kind neighbor," Pacheco said. "I wouldn't wish this on anybody. And it's just really sad, especially this time of year, for it to be happening. I hope that he didn't feel any pain at all, and that he went peacefully in his home."

While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Pacheco said the homes in the neighborhood are old, and some have electrical issues. Seeing what happened to her neighbor, she said she now fears something could happen to her own home.

"All we can do is pray and just keep up our maintenance on our homes," Pacheco said.