Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 20, 1995 TAG: 9505230021
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: MIDLOTHIAN LENGTH: Medium
``It jumped and jumped and just kept jumping,'' April said of the blaze. ``I called 911 two, three times. I told them, `It's big, it's getting bigger and you'll need a lot of backup' because it was spreading quick.''
Fifty-eight units housing at least 100 people were evacuated when the main building of the Old Buckingham Station complex in suburban Richmond burned early Friday. Much of the wooden structure was destroyed, but remarkably, no one was injured.
``God was looking out for us,'' said Wayne Tunstall, senior battalion chief of the Chesterfield County Fire Department. ``We're fortunate none of our firefighters were hurt and we were able to get all the people out.''
Tunstall, a 26-year veteran of the county Fire Department, said it was the worst apartment complex fire in county history.
A large portion of the roof in the center building and on one of the wings collapsed. The fire spread quickly, its flames so intense that they lit the sky almost as if daylight had come early. Black ash floated everywhere.
Scorched framing was all that remained at daybreak.
Residents and emergency personnel said many people helped avert disaster. Some victims weren't even sure who had awakened them, but the news by 10 a.m. that everyone was accounted for was a relief both at the scene and at a church where the American Red Cross had set up a disaster center.
``I heard people banging and yelling and looked out the window and saw fire,'' said Jennifer Martin, who lived in the main building with her parents and sister. ``We got out as fast as we could.''
More than 100 firefighters and 20 vehicles battled the blaze at its peak, officials said. By about 4:50 a.m., three hours after they arrived, firefighters said they had the blaze under control.
They said it could take days, even weeks, to determine the cause.
Richard Harris was sleeping about 2:15 a.m. when firefighters knocked his door down and woke him. He put on sneakers, helped an elderly neighbor to safety and then could only watch as the fire bore down on his home.
``I didn't think it was going to get to me, but within 15 minutes, it raced across the roof,'' Harris said. ``It got there real fast.''
Clad only in T-shirt, shorts and sneakers, Harris gazed frequently at the torched remains of the apartment he'd lived in for just six months. He said he had no insurance and lost just about everything.
``I'm just walking around trying to figure out where to put it all back together. I don't know where to start,'' he said.
Victims, many with only their nightclothes, received food, water and counseling at the church. School buses shuttled many of them to a Wal-Mart store for clothing. Others sat trying simply to comprehend.
``What a mess,'' said Ben Borden, who escaped with his girlfriend and 3-week-old daughter, Alexandra. ``We've gotta find a place to live.''
by CNB