THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 24, 1996 TAG: 9602240304
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
An early-morning fire in the Bay Island waterfront community killed a longtime resident and destroyed his home, fire officials said.
Although dental records will be needed to confirm the identity, fire investigators believe the victim was Brooks W. Setzer Jr., 73, a retired Navy captain who, with a former wife, bought the one-story house in the 2300 block of Spindrift Road nearly three decades ago.
A neighbor saw smoke and reported the fire shortly before 5 a.m. The first firefighters arrived in 10 minutes and found heavy fire in the garage, kitchen and living room, fire spokesman Murrey Loflin said.
Firefighters battled more than 30 minutes to contain the blaze.
``There was just a lot of fire and it took a while to bring it under control,'' Loflin said.
Firefighters found the victim's body in the living room, where investigators said the blaze began. Brooks was the only one home when the fire started.
The victim's body was taken to the Norfolk medical examiner's office for examination.
The fire destroyed the garage and burned away its roof, leaving only the brick shell and two protruding chimneys from one end of the $244,000 home.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but authorities said it probably was accidental.
Loflin said he didn't know how long the fire went undetected, or if the home was equipped with working smoke detectors. ILLUSTRATION: MARTIN GRUBE
The body of a man is removed Friday from a one-story house in the
2300 block of Spindrift Road in the Bay Island waterfront community
of Virginia Beach. A neighbor saw smoke and reported the fire. The
first firefighters arrived in 10 minutes.
KEYWORDS: FATALITY FIRE by CNB