HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Neighbors are coming to the aid of a family whose rental home was engulfed by flames in Henrico last week.
When Catharine Mefford and Anna Yates looked out their windows the morning of Monday, Jan. 15, they saw flames shooting from their neighbor’s home on Connecticut Avenue.
"Smoke and fire was everywhere and spewing towards our house," Anna Yates recalled.
The women said they heard screams before they saw the mother and her teenage son run out carrying their elderly grandmother.
Minutes later, Yates said part of the home was completely overtaken with flames.
"I look over at their back deck and know that nobody is there, it just overwhelms me each time," Mefford said.
Crews deemed the house a total loss and officials said a utility failure is being investigated as the potential cause.
Mefford and Yates said they were heartbroken by what happened, so they created a GoFundMe to support the family they said lost everything in their home.
The pair said the help is critical since their neighbors did not have renters insurance.
Mefford described their neighbor as “sweet and charming and very generous.”
“To know her is to love her," she said. “They are very helpful."
The pair hopes their efforts will help their neighbors get back on their feet.
"We want them to be able to rebuild their lives," Mefford said.
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