Olde Towne Portsmouth residents mourn the loss of longtime neighbor in house fire, rally behind surviving sister

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A large house fire on Tuesday morning in Olde Towne Portsmouth left one person dead and another rushed to the hospital with burns.

Members of the community and friends of the sisters who lived at the home say the loss hits their neighborhood hard.

Dean Burgess, a friend of the victim and a longtime Olde Towne resident, said the family, and their home, carried significance through multiple generations in Olde Towne Portsmouth.

Burgess said the fire has left their community shaken and sad beyond belief.

Just before 6 in the morning Tuesday, flames and heavy smoke sent a normally quiet neighborhood, Olde Towne Portsmouth, into panic.

“Heartbreaking, just absolutely heartbreaking, but I sort of couldn’t believe it," said Burgess.

The blaze was large enough to be seen