Only On 8: ‘You would’ve had to bury me,’ Hanover family reeling after fire destroys house

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A Hanover County family is picking up the pieces after a devastating house fire last week destroyed their home -- just three weeks after they moved in.

"I lost memories," said Lilian Scrivener, whose home on Overhill Lake Lane was destroyed in a fire in the early morning hours of Friday, June 20. "I had my son's Marine memorabilia in there. I had my son's college football memorabilia in there. My daughter's high school memorabilia in there. Gone."

Scrivener said she lived in the home with her daughter, both of their boyfriends, and four grandchildren. The family had only recently settled into the house when disaster struck.

"I feel devastated, but I have a support system," she said. "My boss is the greatest. He's supporting me and my family to the fullest."

Scrivener works at a local Best Western. She said after a storm knocked out power the day before the fire, her boss gave the entire family a place to sleep at the hotel for the night. So luckily, no one was home when the fire sparked.

"You would have had to bury me if something happened to one of my grandchildren," she said.

Still, the damage is extensive. 8News went to the home, and the roof was burned off completely. It is now lined with caution tape.

"We went in to try to salvage some stuff," she said. "Everything was just smoke, smells burnt."

Hanover Fire officials said they were called to the scene just before 2 a.m. on June 20. When crews arrived, they found the home fully engulfed in flames. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

"The roof was just totally caved in, the side of the house -- just charred," Scrivener said. "They had kicked the doors and windows were busted out."

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Scrivener said she thinks the fire might be connected to an HVAC system that was replaced earlier that day by Michael & Son Services, though that has not been confirmed.

The family has been staying at the Best Western ever since, but Scrivener said they can’t stay there much longer.

"I can't expect my boss to keep allowing my daughter and my grandchildren to stay here," she said. “It’s not fair to him. It’s not his responsibility or burden. He’s done enough. We just need somebody to step in and help. Any help, resources -- anything, people can just guide us. People just pray for us."

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