Children injured in Saturday blaze

By Calvin Bryant (Contact) | Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

Published Saturday, March 14, 2009

WINTON – Two young children are in a Norfolk, Va. hospital, critically injured during a three-alarm residential apartment fire here early Saturday morning.

Winton Fire Chief James Broglin told the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald that two of Mary Riddick’s three children were still inside the two-story Main Street residence when firefighters arrived around 8 a.m.

The two children, ages 7 and 11, were transported by Hertford County EMS to Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie and later taken to Norfolk Sentera General Hospital.

“The last update I heard about the condition of the two children was that they were in critical condition,” said Broglin, speaking by phone mid-afternoon on Saturday.

The fire chief added that Riddick and a younger child (age unknown) were out of the residence upon arrival of the firemen. Neither was injured.

Broglin said the wood-framed residence, owned by Clyde P. Ruffin of Winton, was divided into two apartments, one upstairs and the other downstairs. Riddick and her three children lived in the downstairs apartment. The upstairs living space was unoccupied.

Chief Broglin credited two separate teams of Winton firemen – James Cannette/James Cannette Jr. and Michael Hedgepeth/William Askew for making their way into the heavy smoke and rescuing the two children.

Personnel with the Winton Fire Department, located less than a block away from the scene, responded quickly with 22 men and four units. Mutual aid assistance was provided by Station 1 (Ahoskie Fire Dept.) and Station 6 (Murfreesboro Fire Dept.). Each responded with two units, including Murfreesboro’s ladder truck that was used extensively to reach the flames.

Meanwhile, Hertford County Sheriff’s deputies closed off Main Street in order to give the firemen easy access to the blaze.

There was no damage to nearby structures and none of the 40-plus firefighters on the scene suffered any injuries.

Broglin said the residence was a total loss. He added that the cause of the fire was under investigation, but was leaning towards it being accidental in nature.

“It may have been caused by a space heater,” Broglin said. “We’ll know more once we get a chance to speak with Ms. Riddick.”

Winton firemen remained on the scene until 2:36 p.m.

Broglin thanked the responding fire departments for their assistance as well as thanking Hertford County EMS and the Hertford County Sheriff’s deputies. Additionally, the fire chief thanked the owner of Winton’s Corner Café for opening his doors and providing beverages and food, at no cost, to the firefighters.

(Editor’s Note: The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald thanks John D. Friis of Franklin, Va. – a professional fireman with the Naval Base in Norfolk, Va. and a volunteer firefighter with the Franklin, Va. Fire Department – for providing the photographs for this story.)

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