VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A person and a pet are dead following a fire on Baccalaureate Drive in Virginia Beach Thursday night.
Fire officials said the fire happened in the 5500 block of Baccalaureate Drive in the Campus East section of the city. The call reporting the fire came in at 7:30 p.m., dispatchers said.
According to officials, the fire was in a one-story townhouse.
A person and a pet died in the blaze.
Virginia Beach police were also on the scene at that time, fire officials said.
Friday afternoon, the fire department confirmed the Virginia Beach Police Department had been called in to assist with the investigation.
10 On Your Side spoke with neighbors who say the victim was a woman in her 30s, who had lived in the neighborhood for a couple of years.
They were shocked to hear about the death and say the victim was kind.
Frozine Morrow, who lives down the street, says she heard fire trucks last night and knew something bad was happening.
“They started pouring in and pouring in and pouring in. My heart started beating real hard because I said what’s going on?” Morrow said.
Morrow says she was concerned about her friend who lived near the fire and walked down to see the scene.
She says she frequently saw the victim walking her dog up and down the street like most neighbors and hopes they get answers from investigators about what happened soon.
“If it was intentional, that’s going to put people on edge,” she said.
Morrow says this will cause her to check on people more, especially since many older residents live in the community.
VBPD told 10 On Your Side that “this is an active investigation. It’s is being investigated as a suspicious death and we are waiting on the results from the Medical Examiners Office for more information.”
10 On Your Side is working to learn more