Warsaw (AP) - A fire has claimed one of the oldest houses on the Northern Neck and a state and federally recognized landmark.
The fire at the Bladensfield mansion was first reported to the Richmond County Volunteer Fire Department at about 9:50 a.m. Wednesday. When the first firefighters arrived five minutes later, "she was gone completely," said Assistant Chief Dennis Hanks.
"This is a nightmare," said part-owner Evelyn W. Overton as she watched the smoke rise from the rubble surrounding the huge brick chimney stacks that were the only part of the house left standing....
Bladensfield was a three-story frame house that served as a girls' boarding school during the 1840s. It contained 20 rooms and was a trove of antiques, old family portraits and memorabilia, said Mrs. Overton.
Overton, who lives next door to the property, said she left at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday to take her cousin, who lived in Bladensfield, to the hospital for knee surgery.
"He said the heat was off and he had unplugged everything because he knew he'd be gone for a week," said Overton.
She said at least two neighbors noticed smoke coming from the general area of the Colonial mansion, but assumed it was a controlled burn by foresters who had been working in nearby timberland.
State and local investigators were searching for clues.
"It's not suspicious, but we're looking for what caused it," said Richmond County Sheriff Gene Snydor.                            From the "Fairfax Journal" November 1996.

"This is a nightmare," said part-owner Evelyn W. Overton as she watched smoke rise from the rubble surrounding the huge brick chimney stacks that were the only parts of the house left standing.

Overton said at least two neighbors noticed smoke billowing from the general area of the isolated Colonial mansion but assumed it was a controlled burn conducted by foresters who had been working in nearby timberland.

Bladensfield, a 20-room plantation house that was built early in the 18th century, caught fire Wednesday and burned undetected for at least 50 minutes before volunteer fire departments were alerted.