VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach firefighters say a 55-year-old woman died in an apartment fire on Runaway Bay Drive.
It happened just before 3 a.m. Thursday at an apartment complex off of Bonney Road.
A screen door and broken glass were on the ground at the scene. Firefighters found the woman dead inside of her second-floor apartment unit.
Felipe Girao lives on the floor below where the fire happened.
“I thought it was really close, really close to where I live,” said Girao.
He said he didn’t know the woman who died, but woke up to firefighters knocking on his door.
“It’s unfortunate that she passed,” said Girao.
Virginia Beach fire officials said they showed up to the complex and didn’t see or smell any smoke from the fire and the apartment windows were closed.
However, when fire crews went into the apartment, they found flames, smoke and damage to the kitchen area.
Crews said the fire didn’t spread past that one apartment. Still, a total of 40 first responders came out to the scene.
Runaway Bay Apartment resident Kiana Hall said she saw them and knew something was wrong.
“You know ambulances, police officers, fire trucks. We really don’t have that kind of thing over here at all like. We don’t have incidents like that. It’s a quiet, quiet neighborhood,” said Hall.
Fire Department officials said the circumstances around the fire and the woman’s death are still under investigation, leaving neighbors questioning everything.
Hall said, “Now thinking about it you know, I didn't hear the fire alarm go off.”
In the meantime, neighbors said their hearts go out to the woman’s friends and family.
“It’s really sad, it’s a really nice neighborhood I’ve never seen anything like that happen before,” said resident Westley Benson.
Investigators have not released the woman’s name.
Virginia Beach Fire and Police Departments are investigating the situation.