SANDSTON, Va. -- A second victim has died after a fire destroyed a home on Mary Street in Sandston early Friday morning.
Family members said Barbara Williamson, the woman critically injured in the eastern Henrico fire, died in the hospital Saturday. Additionally, 60 year-old Carlton Sprouse, who was Williamson's roommate at the house along the 1600 block of Mary Street, died Friday.
Fire crews responded to the home around 2:30 a.m. when someone inside the house called 911, officials said. Firefighters found Williamson and restored her pulse while fighting the fire, which took about 20 minutes to mark the fire under control.
Matthew Lasowitz, Williamson's grandson-in-law, called the fire tragic and something his family could have never prepared for.
"Barbara was a wonderful woman. She was a woman always trying to help people. She would rather have nothing and give everything she had to someone else,” said Lasowitz.
Williamson's family described the great-grandmother as a deeply caring and loving person with a heart of gold.
"She was a fun-loving person. She's the one that introduced me to my wife and eventually gave us a grandson," said Lasowitz. "And I have to thank her for that. She was a people person. She was never afraid to talk to anybody.”
Lasowitz, who works as a security officer at the Food Lion on Mechanicsville Turnpike, said that is where he met Williamson. She was a cashier and customer service representative for more than a decade at the store.
"Barbara was significantly older than I am, but she had a young soul. Everyday after work we would go to a local bar have a beer after work with a bunch of co-workers,” said Lasowitz.
Lasowitz said the bond between them will remain in his heart forever as the family comes to grip with the loss.
Williamson's family has established a GoFundMe accountto fund her funeral. As of Saturday evening, the account had raised $795.
Fire officials said the homeowner did not have working smoke detectors. Firefighters found one face up on a desk. According to Henrico Fire Department spokesman Capt. Daniel Rosenbaum, the fire department had properly installed in the smoke detectors back in 2011.
Barbara Williamson
