FCFRD News Blog : West Falls Church Apartment Fire Caused By Improperly Discarded Smoking Material

Mount Vernon VA

03 June, 2022

1:18 PM

Description

Press release from the FCFRD News Blog: June 3, 2022 On Sunday, May 29, at approximately 2:51 p.m., units from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and the Arlington County Fire Department were dispatched for a reported apartment fire in the 2900 block of Dover Lane in the West Falls Church area of Fairfax County. Units arrived on the scene of a three-story, garden apartment style building with fire visible from the third-floor balcony. Due to the location of fire, and the extremely hot temperature during that time of day, a second alarm was requested. This brought additional resources to include units from the City of Fairfax Fire Department. Crews were able to bring the fire under control quickly. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported. Three occupants were home at the time of the fire. The fire was discovered by a neighbor who observed fire on a third-floor balcony. The resident alerted the building occupants. All occupants self-evacuated prior to fire department arrival. Smoke alarms did not alert due to location of the fire. Fire Investigators determined the fire was accidental in nature and started on the third-floor balcony. The fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking material. Multiple occupants were displaced because of the fire. Red Cross is assisting all residents. Damages as a result of the fire are approximately $158,500. The damages reflect the estimated total amount of damage to eleven units and the building. This press release was produced by the FCFRD News Blog. The views expressed here are the author's own.