CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Two adults died in a late-night fire at a home in Chesapeake, according to the Chesapeake Fire Department.
The department says just before 11 p.m., multiple neighbors reported a fire in the 400 block of Supplejack Court. That’s about a mile away from Oscar Smith High School.
While they were on their way to the fire, firefighters learned that there could be two people inside the house.
Chesapeake fire officials say 65-year old Charles Jones and his wife 66-year old Theresa Jones both died inside the home.
Once they got to the home, crews went inside and found two dead adults on the first floor, the department says. The department has since identified the victims as a married couple: 65-year-old Charles Jones and 66-year-old Theresa Jones. Officials say the couple lived in the home together.
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Crews put out the fire in roughly 20 minutes.
After combing through fire debris, investigators learned that the fire started on the front porch. They have not determined the cause of the fire, but they said no suspicious factors were found.
Neighbors who did not want to speak on camera say the couple had lived in the house for more than 20 years. One neighbor spoke to News 3's Leondra Head.
"It’s very sad and scary for our neighborhood," Adam Gunter, a neighbor said. "it was a lot of smoke, and they were knocking out windows."
News 3's Leondra Head apoke to Chesapeake Assistant Fire Marshal Steven Bradley.
"There was significant damage to the front porch," Bradley said. That extended into the first floor and then up to the second floor to the roof line."
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"Was there any indication that a space heater was involved?" News 3's Leondra Head asked Bradley.
"There were some space heaters in use, but they were inside the house and the fire started on the outside," Bradley said. "There were no sources of ignition on the front porch, so that will be ruled out."
Bradley says this is a lesson for all.
"Use this as an example of how extremely important it is to have working smoke detectors in your house," Bradley said. "Early notification could make the difference between whether you’re able to get out or not."
"Did that house have working smoke detectors?" News 3's Head asked Bradley.
"We don’t know, and we don’t know if it played a role in this case," Bradley said.
Chesapeake fire officials are still working to learn the cause of the fire, but investigators told us they do not believe it is suspicious.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
