Jimmy Dean and his wife, Donna, escaped a late night fire to their Varina home last night. Everyone was okay but the home was significantly damaged.
Yes, when I read that Jimmy Dean had a house fire the first thing that came to my mind was breakfast sausage. I'm warped that way. If you're late coming to this game called NashvilleGab you'll soon come to realize I'm just a dork so don't mind me.
Anyway, back to the fire. It was reported at 8:05 p.m. and was still not under control at 11:30 p.m. The home was large enough and secluded enough that it took eight engine companies, three tanker trucks, and two ladders to fight the blaze. They also had to shuttle water about a mile to get it to the residence.
Firefighters discovered fire from the “basement to the attic” when they arrived, Henrico fire Lt. Chris Buehren. The fire spread quickly because the “balloon-frame” house has no interior fire stops, he said.
Dean, 80, and his wife, were both able to evacuate before fire crews arrived, Buehren said. Both were still at the scene late last night.
Buehren said officials rotated crews throughout the evening because the firefighting effort at the Dean home was very labor intensive. One firefighter was taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion.
It was unclear whether the Deans’ home was a total loss.
“There’s significant damage but I don’t know the extent,“ Buehren said.
On a serious note, I may joke about breakfast staples, but I'm honestly happy that Jimmy and his wife and their caretaker were able to escape with their lives. Someone was apparently looking out for them.
That is too funny. I'm glad everyone was ok.
Posted by: Sausage Making | April 14, 2011 at 07:15 PM