Only On 8: Richmond mother, children lose everything in apartment fire
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond mother says all of her family's belongings were destroyed after a fire burned through Ashley Oaks Apartments Monday afternoon, displacing dozens of residents.
That mother, Christine Wilson, told 8News in an exclusive interview that she was home asleep the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 2 when the fire started in the apartment next door -- and it quickly spread throughout the building.
"I had to run outside in my drawers and bra … couldn’t grab nothing else," she said.
That day, crews with the Richmond Fire Department were called to the two-story complex in the 1500 block of Jennie Scher Road, where they found heavy flames burning through the roof.
Wilson said that it was her children who saved all of their lives.
Feb. 2 apartment fire on Jennie Scher Road in Richmond. (Photo Courtesy of Facesofheroes)
Feb. 2 apartment fire on Jennie Scher Road in Richmond. (Photo Courtesy of Facesofheroes)
Feb. 2 apartment fire on Jennie Scher Road in Richmond. (Photo Courtesy of Facesofheroes)
With schools moved online due to the ongoing wintry weather, they were home that afternoon and able to wake her just minutes before the building was engulfed in flames.
"I’m a very hard sleeper, and I was in there, knocked out -- but if it weren’t for my kids, I probably would have [stayed] in there, knocked out," she said.
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Wilson and her three kids are among the 25 residents who were displaced by the fire. A total of four apartment units -- including theirs -- were damaged by the flames and eight more sustained water damage.
"[We lost] everything -- shoes, clothes, important paperwork, TVs, beds, furniture ... everything," she said.
Wilson told 8News this is the second time in months that a fire has upended their lives.
"I mean, my kids ... just had a car fire the day we moved, and now there’s a house fire," she said.
Wilson is now raising money, hoping to buy a hotel room until she and her children can move into a new unit.
"Anything will help ... I’m not so much worried about me, I worry about my kids," she said.
If you'd like to donate to the Wilsons' GoFundMe, you can do so here.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
