Investigation Into Deadly House Fire Continues

A fire that we first reported on Wednesday that claimed the lives of two Short Pump residents Wednesday continues this morning. 911 calls came in from one of the victims inside the house at 2404 Bridgehaven Terrace, near Pump & Church Roads in the Steveston subdivision, around 4:35 AM Tuesday morning, but Henrico County Public Information Officer Chris Buehren said that certain elements of the distress call indicated that the fire was already fully involved by that point.

Buehren said the two victims’ bodies were found in separate rooms of the second floor and were removed around 6:00 PM Wednesday. Neither have yet been identified, but neighbors say they believe one is Orawan Lungtaekul, supposedly the homeowner and a native of Thailand.

Sources close to the incident also indicate that all three women who lived in the home were of Thai decent and worked at Tara Thai at Short Pump Town Center. They were described by neighbors as quiet and hardworking.

Sources also say that the homeowner was under extreme financial pressure after becoming a victim of identity theft. Someone recently charged upwards of $4,000 in credit card purchases in her name. The matter has been confirmed to be part of the ongoing investigation.

Arson and homicide detectives were also on scene, and dogs trained to detect accelerants were sent into the house to determine if the fire was indeed intentional. Officials say the rate at which the home burned was unusually fast.

The shell of the home was all that remained after the blaze was put out around 7:00 AM Wednesday. The remnants were so dangerously unstable that Henrico County’s Tactical Rescue Team braced the exterior of the house with wooden beams and had to construct makeshift stairs to get upstairs and search for victims. Two firefighters fell through the second story floor while fighting the blaze yesterday as the interior collapsed, but no injuries were reported.