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Pictures, other items lost for good in Newport News storage facility fire

Posted at 6:30 PM, Aug 05, 2013
and last updated 2013-08-05 18:30:32-04

Newport News, Va. – Monday morning, Beatrice Marshall sifted through what's left of her storage unit.  There were only a few things she was able to salvage.

Her storage unit was one of 19 damaged in a fire that ripped through part of Public Storage on Jefferson Ave. early Sunday.

“Everything is just charred, glued together,” said Marshall.

Her storage unit was filled to the ceiling with belongings, including electronics, kitchen items and clothing.

“My whole life was in there.”

Out of it all, she's going home with a vase, a pot and a few decorative items.

Marshall does have insurance, but some of her belongings cannot be replaced, like her pictures and items that had she collected around the world while serving in the Army.

“There's no way I can get that back and no amount of money that they pay me for insurance is going to replace that,” Marshall said.

To make matters worse, she had been planning to move her belongings out on Monday.

It was only after calling the facility to talk to them about vacating her unit that she found out there was a fire over the weekend.

It’s still unknown what caused the fire.

Related: 

19 units damaged in Newport News storage facility fire