COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. -- Two children were critically injured in a Monday afternoon house fire in Colonial Heights. The children’s grandmother also suffered critical injuries.
The children were in an upstairs room, inside a home along the 1100 block of Covington Road, when the fire started.
"When fire units arrived, they found a single-family dwelling with fire showing from an upstairs window," a Colonial Heights Fire spokesperson wrote in a Monday evening email. "Medics transported two pediatric patients and one adult female patient. All patients are currently at VCU Trauma Center in critical condition. The fire was under control in approximately 16 minutes."
“[Firefighters] were met with fire as they went up the staircase,” Fire Chief Wayne Hoover said. “They quickly found and located two pediatric patients which they rapidly removed.”
A Colonial Heights Police Officer arriving on scene spotted a third child outside and held onto him until other family arrived.
Their grandmother was discovered outside the home suffering from smoke inhalation.
The injured children were flown to VCU Medical Center.
“We want to obviously pray for the children and the grandmother,” Hoover said. “I’m [also]going to ask everybody watching to pray for the rescuers because now is the hardest part for them.”
The investigation into what started the fire remains ongoing.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
