A two-alarm fire damaged a unit in a large South Richmond apartment complex early today and sent dozens of people, many of them elderly and clad in only pajamas, outside into frigid conditions.
The fire at the Chesterfield Square apartments was reported at 12:19 a.m. and appeared to be confined to one third-floor unit in the back of the complex. No injuries were reported.
As firefighters worked to control the blaze, authorities began evacuating residents of the sprawling cluster of three-story apartment buildings in the 1700 block of Hioaks Road, across from the CJW Medical Center (Chippenham).
The temperature at the time was 23 degrees, but the wind chill made it feel like 14 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Some residents were taken inside ambulances and other emergency vehicles to help shelter them from the frigid conditions, and relatives arrived at the scene to help other residents.
Firefighters brought the fire under control by 12:50 a.m. and began allowing most residents to return to the lobby of the complex.
Copyright Richmond Times-Dispatch, Used with permission
