Story by Stefanie Jackson and Photo by Helene Doughty
A house fire Sunday night, Jan. 20, in Birdsnest, claimed the life of one woman who has not yet been positively identified by authorities.
The Eastern Shore 9-1-1 Center received the call at 11:25 p.m. Fire stations responded from Wachapreague, Painter, Exmore, Cheriton, Cape Charles, Nassawadox, and Eastville. Nassawadox Fire Chief Jim LeCato was in command at the scene, the 11000 block of Sealey Road.
Fire personnel spent up to 7.5 hours on the scene. Eastville Fire and Rescue reportedly used more than 18,000 gallons of water, one engine, two tankers, nine air pack tanks, and two attack lines to battle the blaze. Controlling the fire was complicated by windy and icy conditions.
Emergency Medical Services units from Exmore and Machipongo also responded, and two deputies from the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office assisted.
The Virginia State Police were called at 1:10 a.m. Monday morning to conduct the continuing investigation.
This story has been updated since it appeared in the Jan. 25 print edition of the Eastern Shore Post.