House Fire In Sterling Displaces Four, Causes $657K In Damage

Ashburn VA

27 December, 2021

2:15 PM

Description

STERLING, VA — A fire displaced four people and caused more than $600,000 in damages on Sunday morning in Sterling, according to a report from the department of fire and rescue. No injuries were reported. Officials determined that the fire was accidental, caused by an electrical failure at an outlet. Units from Loudoun County and Fairfax County responded to the single-family home on North Watford Court around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. When they arrived, there was fire and smoke showing from the carport and the roof, authorities said. The occupants of the home, four people and a dog, safely evacuated the home. Fire officials said that the residents closed their garage door on their way out, which dramatically decreased the spread of the fire. Fire crews used hose lines to knock down most of the fire from the exterior, according to the report. Firefighters entered the home to extinguish the remaining blaze. Damage to the home was mostly contained to the carport and one first-floor room. A neighboring home had moderate damage to the siding and windows, but the home remained occupied, officials said. "This fire demonstrates the importance of having working smoke alarms to notify you in the event of a fire, the effectiveness of a home escape plan and critical in this situation, was ensuring that the door from the carport into the structure was closed before the resident evacuated," officials said in a news release. "The closed door and early notification from the smoke alarms both allowed time for the residents to escape and held the fire in check before firefighters arrived." Loudoun County Fire and Rescue offers a smoke alarm program to help keep residents safe. For a free smoke alarm assessment, residents can call the smoke alarm hotline at 703-737-8093. More information about the smoke alarm program is available on Loudoun County's website. Have a story idea? Email me at [email protected] with tips, questions, comments, or concerns.