‘Our family’s still here’: Residents grateful to be alive after apartment fire displaces 44 people
VENN
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — An early-morning fire displaced 44 people and left one person injured after flames tore through an apartment building on Thursday.
Chesterfield Fire & EMS arrived at the Waterside at Iron Bridge Apartments in the 6400 block of Wooded Glen Court to find heavy flames shooting through the roof of a building around 2 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Neighbors shared video with 8News that showed clouds of thick smoke rising into the air.
Chesterfield fire officials said firefighters and police officers worked together to rescue residents, some of whom were trapped on balconies and inside their apartments.
Officials said all 44 residents who reside in the building were safely evacuated.
Chesterfield firefighters respond to raging apartment fire. (Photos: Wesley Morris)
Chesterfield firefighters respond to raging apartment fire. (Photos: Wesley Morris)
Chesterfield firefighters respond to raging apartment fire. (Photos: Wesley Morris)
Chesterfield firefighters respond to raging apartment fire. (Photos: Wesley Morris)
Chesterfield firefighters respond to raging apartment fire. (Photos: Wesley Morris)
Kenneth Mistak-Conner, one of the displaced residents, said he was asleep when he heard people pounding on his door.
“We probably had about two or three minutes to get dressed, grab the dogs and get out,” Mistak-Conner said. “When you opened the door all you could see was the smoke and flames,”
Another resident, Jeremiah Ridley, said he saw the fire moments after it started and rushed into the burning building to warn as many neighbors as possible.
“I started banging on all the doors, letting everybody know it was a fire,” Ridley said. “I just did what I thought was right.”
Firefighters remained on scene for several hours, monitoring for hot spots after knocking down the blaze.
As the smoke cleared, residents were left looking at a charred, heavily damaged building.
Mistak-Conner said while the loss is difficult, he's grateful his family made it out safely.
“Everything we lost is material stuff,” he said. “Our family is still here. We got the only thing out that really matters.”
Officials said one resident was taken to the hospital with injuries and is expected to be okay. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Red Cross and apartment management are assisting residents.
