Chesapeake blaze that killed 3 blamed on clothes dryer

CHESAPEAKE

Three young people who died in a Thursday morning house fire were trapped upstairs after the blaze and a window air conditioning unit blocked their only exits.

The victims were described as two men and one woman, all probably between the ages of 18 and 25, said Capt. Steve Johnson, Chesapeake Fire Department spokesman. Their identities were being withheld pending confirmation from the medical examiner.

A background search showed that Linda and Douglas Hastings own the home at 937 Levee Lane in Deep Creek and that they lived there with their two sons, Jason and Joshua. Multiple neighbors said th e sons were believed killed in the fire, as well as a third person, who was unrelated.

The fire, considered accidental, began in a clothes dryer running near the base of a staircase that led up to the room, Johnson said. It was unclear what caused the fire to ignite.

Johnson said the blaze

probably kept the victims from escaping downstairs. An air conditioning window unit blocked an escape through the window, he said.

Many neighbors were readying for work Thursday morning on a street they describe as quiet and peaceful when they saw the tan brick house in flames.

"I saw smoke and fire pouring, like, 20 feet up in the air. It was huge," said James Turner, who lives nearby.

Turner said he ran across the street to try to help. "The dad was there. He said he couldn't get the kids out. It just happened so quick," Turner said.

"I see them all the time. I wave to them just about every day. They're all good people... eight years I've been here and there's never been a problem on this street," Turner said.

Joe Jones, who lives next door and has known the family for more than two decades, called them "wonderful neighbors. They'd do anything for you. The children are very polite, well-behaved. They were all good students," he said.

Neighbors stood stunned in yards blocked by fire and rescue vehicles early Thursday. Some wiped at tears, saying they could not recollect anything so terrible happening nearby.

Johnson said he could not recall three people dying in a fire in Chesapeake since the 1980s.

A blaze in Virginia Beach on Christmas Day 2004 killed three people, including two children, ages 4 and 9. In November of that year, two Currituck County, N.C., boys and a man who tried to rescue them died when their camper caught fire at Hampton Lodge Campground in Waterlily.

Johnson said the house at 937 Levee Lane, situated in a cul-de-sac, had a working smoke detector that alerted at least one person who lived there. A call came in about 7:11 a.m., and firefighters were on the scene within five minutes.

But, he said, "the fire had gained some speed ahead of us."

The home was a total loss. Investigators worked throughout the cold, clear afternoon, retrieving the first of the victims around 3 p.m.

Surviving family members, who had taken shelter in a neighbor's house, left shortly before 11 a.m., distraught. Neighbors rushed up to embrace them.

Nicole Garrett, whose house backs up to 937 Levee Lane, said she went to school with one of the victims.

"They never let it be known if they were having a bad day. You could tell they had a good upbringing... our hearts and prayers go out to them," Garrett said.

Garrett, who is an intern at a nursing home, said she tries to be prepared for death. "But this is so sudden."

News researcher Maureen P. Watts contributed to this report.

Kristin Davis, (757) 222-5555, kristin.davis@pilotonline.com