Virginia Beach fire investigators charge man with arson

Virginia Beach fire investigators said a man is facing an arson charge in connection with an August 2019 fire. Theodore Purnell Olsen, 45, of Virginia Beach, is charged with one count of Felony Arson to Personal Property and one count of misdemeanor Destruction of Property. Fire crews and police were called around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 19 to the 2500 block of Entrada Drive for a report of a fire. After several months of investigating, officials said the fire was intentionally set. Members of the Virginia Beach Fire Department’s Fire Marshal’s Office and the Virginia Beach Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit assisted in the investigation. Olsen is being held in the Virginia Beach Correctional Center without bond.
WVEC-TV ABC 13 Hampton Roads

Chesterfield firefighters battle large house fire

PHOTOS: Chesterfield firefighters battled a large house fire along North Donegal Drive. Heavy flames and smoke could be seen coming from the two-story home on Thursday evening. Two adults, two children, and two dogs got out of the home safely, officials said. There are no fire hydrants in the area, so crews are using a water shuttle operation to bring water in to fight the blaze. The Red Cross is assisting family members who were displaced by the fire.
WWBT-TV NBC 12 Richmond

1 flown to hospital after being badly burned in Dinwiddie County house fire

One person was flown to the hospital after they received “significant burn injuries” in a house fire in Dinwiddie County. When firefighters arrived, they found a single-family home fully involved and one person who had escaped from inside. The victim was flown to VCU Medical Center for significant burns and smoke inhalation. It took about 45 minutes for crews to get the fire under control and firefighters stayed on the scene until after 3 p.m. to get it extinguished. “The cause of the fire was determined to be an electric space heater that was located too close to combustibles. The occupant was asleep at the time of the fire and was awakened by the flames. There were no working smoke detectors in the home,” Dinwiddie Fire and EMS said.
WWBT-TV NBC 12 Richmond

Crews fight fire at old Bedford middle school

PHOTOS: Firefighters are battling a fire at an old school in Bedford Thursday morning. According to WSLS, the fire started at a vacant building at 503 Longwood Avenue that used to be a school. The road is currently blocked off at Peaks Street and North Bridge Street. By Thursday morning, firefighters said they lost track of how long they'd Firefighters told WSLS they’ve been fighting the blaze for so long they lost track of time. WSLS reports that in April, Bedford town council approved a deal to renovate the old school into apartments.
WWBT-TV NBC 12 Richmond

12-year-old Richmond boy sells t-shirts to raise money for Australia fire victims

Australia is witnessing the worst fire season in its history, but a 12-year-old boy in Richmond is hoping to help those impacted. The fires have killed and injured millions of native species and destroyed homes. The devastating imagines are causing many to step up to help, including 12-year-old Michael Amann from Richmond. “I really want to help out because Koalas don’t deserve to be killed,” said Michael Amann. “The koalas are innocent and it could possibly make extinction for them more possible.” He’s selling Koala T-shirts called 'Totally Koalafied’ to donate money to victims of the Australian wildfires. “We are so proud of him and started with a random kind of joke, and then he seemed very passionate about it,” said parents, Brandy Amann & Brandon Hawkes.
WWBT-TV NBC 12 Richmond

Campbell County house destroyed by fire; woman displaced

No one was hurt in a fire at a house in Rustburg, but the woman at home at the time is displaced because the house is a total loss, according to the Campbell County Fire Marshal. The fire on Mountain Lane was reported Wednesday morning. The cause of the fire has not been determined, but investigators say with no electric power servicing the home, a kerosene heater was being used as a heat source. The fire was fought by Rustburg Volunteer Fire Department; Concord Volunteer Fire Department, Lyn-Dan Volunteer Fire Department, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office and Campbell County Department of Public Safety. The Red Cross is working with the woman to make sure she has a place to stay.
WDBJ-TV CBS 7 News