Friends gather to remember brothers killed in house fire

CHESAPEAKE

On Thursday night, more than a dozen friends gathered at the comic book and game store where Jason Hastings had spent much of the last three years.

The cast and crew that is performing the tragedy "Antigone" at Tidewater Community College canceled rehearsal and chose instead to remember cast member Joshua Hastings.

The brothers and a third person died Thursday morning in a fire at the family home at 937 Levee Lane in Deep Creek, friends and neighbors confirmed. Officials have not released any of the victims' names.

The fire, considered accidental, began in a clothes dryer near a staircase leading up to a room where the victims were found. They were likely trapped when the blaze and an air conditioning window unit blocked their only escape, said Capt. Steve Johnson, Chesapeake fire spokesman.

Witnesses reported seeing at least one of the victims at the window, Johnson said. One witness heard what sounded like someone trying to break it.

The house, the scene of a daylong investigation Thursday, sat empty and silent Friday afternoon, windows boarded up and a "no trespassing" sign tacked to the front.

Three bouquets of flowers lay next to the mailbox, and yellow fire line tape flapped in the wind.

Jason, 25, managed Atlantis Games & Comics in Virginia Beach. Friends stayed long past closing Thursday night, recalling how he'd joke around to cheer you up or show you he cared.

"He was really like a brother," said Michael Mitchell, who met Jason two years ago at Atlantis. He was memorable, the type of guy who connected with people.

"My mom had met him twice, and even she's upset about it," Mitchell said, fighting back tears.

On his MySpace page, Jason described himself as "your average geek who runs a comic book/game store." He said that he was thinking of going back to school and that he liked video games, cooking and books - especially classics. He loved the movie "Alice in Wonderland" and the Mad Hatter character.

David Mallory, who worked with Jason for three years, said he was the kind of boss who knew when to manage and "when to let things go and let you do your job."

Joshua, 22, was a theater student at TCC who had performed in "Romeo and Juliet," "Barefoot in the Park" and "Bus Stop," said Ed Jacob, department head. Joshua played a crooked priest in "The Pearl," stepping into the role just before opening night. He most

recently was a chorus member in "Antigone."

He planned to transfer to Christopher Newport University at the end of the semester, Jacob said.

He'd just gotten all his paperwork together and had talked about becoming a theater teacher.

Friend Logan Bennett said he joined theater because of Joshua. "I wanted to hang out with him," he said.

Joshua once slipped and fell before a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," breaking a finger, Bennett recalled.

"He went through with the show," he said, then went to the doctor.

"He rocked it that night," said friend Elyse Jolley. "It was the best night because he played an angry father."

Jacob said he plans to dedicate "Antigone" to Joshua. He also wants to start a scholarship fund in his name.

"Josh was just respected and loved by all his classmates," he said. "This is just a devastating kind of thing."

Kristin Davis, (757) 222-5208, kristin.davis@pilotonline.com