Jan. 25--A house fire killed one person in Chesterfield County this morning, the county fire marshal confirmed.
A neighbor called at 5:45 a.m. to report a house fire on the 400 block of Derbycreek Lane in the Enon area near Route 10 and Interstate 295, Fire Marshal Robby Dawson said.
Crews tried to search the house when they first arrived, he said, but heavy flames and smoke pushed them back. The house partially collapsed during the blaze.
Dawson said three people lived at the two-story wood frame house, but two were away working night shifts. Investigators found a body, presumed to be a woman who lived there, as they searched the home after the fire was extinguished.
"We don't have the ability to confirm the identity of the victim at this point," Dawson said. "(But) we're confident we've found the occupant that was unaccounted for."
Dawson said the home's collapse has made it difficult so far to pinpoint which room the victim was in when the fire began.
As of about 1 p.m., fire crews were waiting for the medical examiner to arrive and release the body before more investigation into the fire's cause can resume.
Copyright 2014 - Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
