Smoke detector probed in Henrico fire fatal to 3

A family of three -- a mother and her two children -- who died in an early-morning fire yesterday in Henrico County may have had their escape blocked by heavy smoke and fire.

"When our personnel entered the home, they encountered hot, thick, black smoke," Henrico Fire Capt. Chris Buehren said yesterday. That condition blocked the only escape route, a hallway, from the home's three bedrooms.

Authorities did not release the identities of the victims.

Buehren said firefighters entered the one-story home in Highland Springs knowing that people likely were inside, and he said the primary initial objective was to save lives.

Fire investigators are trying to determine if a smoke detector in the home had been working before it fell to the floor, possibly because of heat damage.

"It was not working when we arrived, because the battery had come out," Buehren said. But it was not clear last night if the battery still was functional.

Buehren said tests also are being performed to determine possible causes of the fire, including the home's wiring. The fire did the most damage to the kitchen area and an adjacent living area. He said the home is not a total loss.

An adult female was found in the bedroom hallway, and two children were found in a rear bedroom, he said. The body of a dog was found in the central part of the home.

The woman died at the scene, and the two children died at VCU Medical Center, Buehren said. They both showed signs of life initially, he said.

Relatives and friends huddled in prayer nearby as firefighters worked the scene in the First block of Battery Avenue, which extends north from Nine Mile Road on the western edge of Highland Springs.

"Great kids," Corey Whisnant, who identified himself as the uncle of the children, said softly as he wiped away tears. "She loved those kids."

He said the home was occupied by Tasha Davis; her daughter, Jazmine Whisnant, about age 9; and her son, Jamie Whisnant Jr., about age 3. He said Davis was 27.

Buehren said the fire was reported by a passer-by at 6:07 a.m., an hour before daylight.

It was the first multiple-fatality fire in the county since September 2008, when two women died in an early-morning fire in the 2400 block of Bridgehaven Terrace near Short Pump. The cause of that fire, which killed two restaurant workers from Thailand, remains undetermined, Buehren said.

He urged residents to create escape plans and to recheck and install smoke detectors. Residents can contact area fire departments for help in purchasing, installing and learning where best to place smoke detectors.

"This was a tragic, devastating fire," Buehren said.

Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 649-6804 or .

Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or .