HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- On Battery Drive in eastern Henrico, Leslie Thornton's day began with a hug. It was a hug she did not expect to give.
Thornton did not know why fire trucks lined the street near her boyfriend's home but heard an upset woman in the street.
"[She was] walking down the street just wailing, broken-hearted wailing," Thornton said. "My heart went out to her, and I just walked up and said are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Henrico fire crews were in the early stages of an investigation into a fatal shed fire, and the woman she comforted told Thornton the deceased was her aunt.
"I would’ve wanted someone to do that for me. She needed it. She was by herself, and I know what it’s like to hurt. I knew I could give it to her, and I knew it could help her. I was a stranger, but sometimes it’s the comfort of strangers that really helps us the most," she said.
Shortly before 6 a.m., Henrico Fire crews were dispatched for reports of a fire.
When they arrived, firefighters found a detached shed on fire.
It took a few minutes to put the fire out, but when they did, fire crews found a deceased woman in her 50s.
Henrico Fire and Police are working in concert as the investigation continues.
Authorities are actively working to determine exactly who the victim is and what caused the fire.
At this point, officials said the medical examiner will determine whether or not the deceased is the woman who lives at the home where the fire happened.
Crews previously said the resident's adult daughter, who has a disability, is living there.
Although the fire victim has not been officially identified, visibly distraught family members showed up at the scene throughout the day.
Neighbors and friends said the woman who owns the home is a "sweet person" and the "rock" of her family.
The block of Battery Drive where this happened is described as somewhat "old school," a tight-knit community where families walk to the school and church just down the street all the time.
While the authorities continue their investigation, Thornton said the pain she witnessed on the scene is telling.
“Remember the last thing she said and did for you; think about what she would want you to be doing right now," she said when asked for words for the victim's family.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
