FORT LEE. Va. (WTVR) – Fort Lee Fire Chief Thomas Bahr provided a morning update on a deadly overnight fire on Fort Lee army base. He said the fire call came into dispatch at 2:50 a.m., first fire crews arrived on scene at 2:57 a.m.
Bahr said when crews arrived it appeared the fire had been burning for a "length of time." He said the fire had spread to a neighboring unit and it was the people in that unit that called for help after hearing a smoke alarm.
"Once our personal went into their quarters to check it out, they discovered that they had a fire that extended from one quarters to the other quarters," Bahr said. "That's when they found the fire itself and they also found the two people that were dead."
He said next of kin has not been been notified. He said because of the that - details about the fire have not yet been released.
Bahr said the bodies were found on the first floor of the burned unit.
"We're making sure that the bodies weren't moved for any reason," he said. "For us to say where they were found, at this time, is probably premature."
Bahr said once investigators from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) have cleared the scene, fire investigators will work to determine the cause of the fire.
"The CID work takes a little bit of time. It's not like on TV," Bahr said. "We believe we should have no problem being able to determine the actual fire cause because we don't have that much damage inside the quarters."
When asked if he believed the fire and deaths were the result of foul play, Bahr said "nothing is ruled out, but it does not appear to be at this time."
