In the early hours of Thursday morning, Richmond firefighters responded to two separate structure fires, a home in Parchester Village and a commercial structure near Nicholl Park.
The first incident occurred just after 6:15 a.m. in the 800 block of Griffin Drive, according to Richmond Firefighters Local 188, the union that represents city firefighters.
Battalion 64 (B64) and Engine 68 (E68) were the first units on the scene, encountering smoke and flames emanating from the rear of a residential structure. Fire crews promptly extinguished the fire, which was confined to a bedroom at the back of the home. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Less than an hour later, at about 7 a.m., a second fire broke out on the 3200 block of Macdonald Avenue, this time affecting a commercial property. B64, Engine 67 (E67), and Truck 64 (T64) arrived to find smoke coming from a local business. The teams quickly gained access and extinguished the fire inside. Again, no injuries were reported.
Local 188 credited increased staffing to the ability to respond to both fires quickly. Due to increased hiring aimed at filling previously vacant positions, both E68 in Hilltop and T64 on the Southside have been staffed with an additional firefighter on most days of the week, bringing the total to four personnel on each apparatus, fire officials said.
