HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — Dave Fratarcangelo was shocked to see his neighbors’ home across the street go up in flames not once, but twice this weekend.
Hopewell Fire and EMS units responded to the 400 block of Woodland Road around 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, after receiving reports of a house fire.
The next day, on Sunday, the home went up in flames a second time.
Fratarcangelo grew up on Woodland Road in the Mansion Hill Neighborhood, where he currently lives with his family.
“Saturday afternoon, I was sitting in the living room — just watching TV, reading … and heard some fire vehicles pull up out in front of the house,” Fratarcangelo said. “[I] looked out, and across the street, there [was] some smoke coming off of the roof.”
When firefighters first arrived on Saturday, they found smoke coming from the attic above the garage. After receiving authorization, the firefighters ended up cutting a hole in the roof to help the smoke and heat escape.
“They got the folks out of the house, them and their pets — and as far as I know, they’re safe,” Fratarcangelo said. “These folks have lived here for like 35, 40 years. And everybody else in this immediate area has lived around here for decades.”
The couple who lived inside the home was able to escape without injury and no firefighters were hurt while fighting the fire. Firefighters were also able to rescue one cat.
But then, around 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning, the house caught fire again.
“I was asleep and I woke up to a loud boom — some kind of an explosion,” Fratarcangelo said. “I couldn’t tell whether it was gunshots or, something like that.”
Fratarcangelo said he looked out his window and saw the entire right side of the house consumed in flames. He then called 9-1-1.
Firefighters responded to the home a second time and spent nearly half the day there, according to Fratarcangelo.
Hopewell Fire and EMS has not released information on the cause of the fires. The current condition of those who were living in the home is also not yet known.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
