RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Richmond Fire Department battled a difficult fire in the Church Hill area Tuesday, made worse by “extreme hoarding conditions” throughout the inside of the home.
Crews responded to what would become an almost four-hour-long incident at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Upon arriving at the 1611 North 35th Street home, crews found light smoke coming from the inside.
“Through extreme hoarding conditions in the home, crews worked to put out the fire,” the fire department said on Facebook.
The incident was marked under control at 3:31 p.m., but due to the “excessive amount of items” inside the home, the fire reignited within the hour.
“Extreme hoarding conditions” in Richmond home cause difficulty in extinguishing Church Hill house fire (Photo: Richmond Fire Department) 
“Extreme hoarding conditions” in Richmond home cause difficulty in extinguishing Church Hill house fire (Photo: Richmond Fire Department) 
“Extreme hoarding conditions” in Richmond home cause difficulty in extinguishing Church Hill house fire (Photo: Richmond Fire Department) 
“Extreme hoarding conditions” in Richmond home cause difficulty in extinguishing Church Hill house fire (Photo: Richmond Fire Department)
A second alarm was struck at 4:52 p.m. to call in additional manpower and resources to fight the blaze. Richmond Fire crews reported hoarding conditions to the ceiling of the home, which made it difficult to get to the bottom of the fire. Crews were sent into the home two at a time to remove contents in order to access and extinguish the fire.
The incident was marked under control at 7:52 p.m., almost four hours after crews first responded.
The fire department said the home’s adult resident was not injured in the incident. The American Red Cross was called in to assist the resident.
