CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A Chesterfield County apartment fire displaced nearly 50 people at the Waterford Apartments Sunday night, according to Chesterfield Fire and EMS.
"Four civilians suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene. One firefighter also suffered a minor injury," a Chesterfield Fire and EMS spokesperson shared. "Twelve apartments were damaged as a result of the fire and 48 residents were displaced. They are being assisted by the Red Cross and property management."
Fire crews were called to a three-story apartment building along the 2800 block of Pavilion Place at about 11:07 p.m. Sunday.
Firefighters used ladder trucks to rescue five people from the upper floors of the burning building.
The fire was marked under control at 12:29 a.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“One thing that’s been very positive in this situation is that the apartment complex has been able to redirect some of these units into places that weren't impacted by the fire. Hopefully, that helps with the long term housing situation here," said Jonathan McNamara, spokesperson for the Virginia Chapter of the American Red Cross.
McNamara said their workers were on the scene Monday assisting the impacted families, which includes disaster mental health care for those who might need it.
"Support to the help them replace clothing, medication, eyeglasses, food that might have been lost as part of the event. But to also offer disaster mental health care and to connect them to with other resources, other non profits and faith based groups, who can help them start what is a challenging recovery process," he said. “We talk a lot about disaster mental health with the large events, like hurricanes and tornadoes, but if you think about it, a single family house fire, a multi unit house fire is just as impactful as any of these major weather events. That’s why every Red Cross responder is trained in disaster mental health, so we talk through the stress and anxiety that often comes from these types of fires.”
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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