A 7-year-old’s attempt to make a tasty treat led to a blaze that drew firefighters from across Albemarle County and wrecked a house.
“My little grandson was in the pantry, trying to toast marshmallows,” said Maynard Pritchett, who lived in the home with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandson.
No one was injured in the fire, which spread from the kitchen area into the attic of the house on Balbion Drive, off Earlysville Road, said the county’s fire chief, Dan Eggleston.
Pritchett’s wife, who was home when the fire started, tried to use a fire extinguisher on the fire, but was unable to get the device to function, he said.
He later got home and tried to put the fire out, he said, but the flames had grown too large.
By all accounts, the fire spread quickly.
“The fire moved pretty rapidly,” said James F. Barber, the county’s assistant chief of fire prevention. “The doors were open, the day was nice.”
Eggleston also said that the house was built with new-style construction, which burns faster than older homes.
Both water supply and access up a traffic-choked Earlysville Road were issues in fighting the fire, which was called in at 4:30 p.m., but the biggest issue was manpower, Barber said.
The first units were already out on another call and arrived at the scene quickly, Eggleston said. But they weren’t enough to contain the fire. It had enveloped the kitchen by the time they arrived, he said.
“We didn’t have enough people on the scene early enough to be able to do what we wanted to do,” Barber said.
Units that responded to the scene included East Rivanna, Crozet, Earlysville, Seminole Trail, Monticello, Charlottesville, Hollymead and the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad. Additional firefighters from farther away moved up to standby in empty stations, in case of other fires.
Pritchett’s family was expecting to spend Tuesday night in a hotel, he said, though a neighbor had been nice enough to offer an over-the-garage apartment.
The full extent of the damage to the home wasn’t immediately clear Tuesday evening.
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