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Woman sent to hospital, six people displaced after apartment fire in Norfolk

Posted at 8:46 AM, Dec 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-25 08:47:58-05

NORFOLK, Va. - At the end of a quiet block of Bolton Street, Carolyn Johnson wonders where she will sleep tonight.

"It was just scary. All I could think about was getting my babies out," Johnson told News 3's Blaine Stewart.

Her babies, 1- and 2-year-old great grandchildren, were asleep in the bedroom of her first floor apartment when the electric stove suddenly exploded. Johnson's daughter was cooking at the time.

"She came in there, sat on the bed and said, 'Mom, Mom, Mom - I’m on fire. I’m on fire," Johnson recalls. "There’s nothing I could do. Nothing I could do. The place was filling up with pure smoke."

Neighbors heard the explosion and rushed to help. Her daughter, who's 47, was the only one hurt.

Doctors tell Johnson her daughter may need a skin graft, but should recover. Everyone else got out safely.

Johnson said she is thankful for the Norfolk Fire Department's quick response.

The American Red Cross is assisting Johnson's family with temporary housing.