WILSON WAS OVERWHELMED CARING FOR HER CHILD… — HEARTBROKEN GRANDMOTHER SPEAKS OUT AFTER VIRGINIA FIRE TRAGEDY CLAIMS LIV-ES OF MOTHER AND 3-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER…
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) – One of the survivors of a Monday morning house fire says her grandchild, 3, and her adult daughter are dead, after the daughter set herself on fire.
The grandmother told 10 On Your Side’s Chris Horne Tuesday afternoon her daughter Destiny Wilson, 34, had mental illness, had been previously institutionalized, and had threatened suicide in the past. Wilson poured gasoline on herself and set herself on fire.
The grandmother and other family members tried to get Wilson into a shower to douse the flames. Meanwhile, Wilson’s daughter Jamie Lee, 3, was in a front room of the ranch home in the 4100 block of Chippendale Court.
The fire spread into that room, and grew too intense to rescue the child. Hampton Fire & Rescue confirmed Tuesday that a child was pronounced dead in the home. Wilson died at the hospital with severe burns.
The grandmother said Wilson had become overwhelmed caring for Jamie Lee. The little girl had autism, cerebral palsy and a disorder involving self-harm. The two had spent the weekend with the grandmother.
Six people overall were in the house when the fire started. A ten-year-old child was among the survivors.
The grandmother said she learned from the tragedy that when people need help for a family member in a mental health crisis, they should contact Community Services Board Mobile Crisis Services.
Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue’s Community Risk Reduction Branch is and Fire Marshals are investigating, according to a Tuesday morning news release.
Hampton Fire crews responded to a house fire Monday morning and found one person already deceased inside and another person suffering from life-threatening burn injuries, according to officials.
Hampton Public Safety Communications Center received the initial call at 7 a.m. to respond to a house fire in the 4100 block of Chippendale Court, with the caller reporting individuals still inside the residence.
Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue’s units arrived on scene at 7:04 a.m., observing smoke and flames from the exterior. Crews heard occupants inside, immediately entered to search, and began an aggressive fire attack. The fire was marked out at 7:21 a.m.
Hampton Fire officials released these images of the scene:
Photo courtesy: Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue
During the incident, Newport News Fire Department units provided assistance by backfilling at Hampton stations.
A window was knocked out on the right half of the ranch style home in the 4100 block of Chippendale Court. Larry Spivey lives on Martha Lee, which is right next to the house that caught fire.
“I had left, and I was coming back, I was at the red light [at Mercury Boulevard], and I saw all the fire trucks coming down here towards my house,” Spivey said. “So I came flying down, I saw all the smoke and I got here, and I saw the house behind us, and I was really scared. I didn’t know what to think.”
Sherin Riggs lives nearby on Sourwood Drive. A family member texted her about 7 a.m. that something terrible was happening.
“I walked outside and then heard either a child screaming or an adult screaming,” Riggs said. “And then I just saw firetrucks come, police officers and an ambulance, so we just knew.”
The fire seems to have been limited to the right portion of the ranch house. A neighbor said the family had lived there for several years.
The Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
SOURCE: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hampton-house-fire-results-fatality-142435464.html
