A man was killed in an apartment fire that officials have now ruled accidental, according to the office of State Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens.
The fire killed Detravious Siemons, 29, and left a two-story duplex in the 400 block of Green Willow Way heavily damaged about 2:40 a.m. Thursday, office spokesman Glenn Allen said in a statement.
Siemons’ body was found in a bedroom of the apartment. A woman and three children were home during the blaze, but escaped unharmed, according to officials.
"My investigators determined that the fire originated on a stove in the kitchen of the duplex," Hudgens said. "The fire was the result of unattended cooking."
Investigators found no evidence of a working smoke alarm in the apartment.
Siemons is the 91st person in the state to die in a residential fire this year. Of the 70 fires in 2017, only three of the homes had a working smoke alarm, Hudgens said.
In other news:
About the Author