ASHBURN, Va. — An early morning fire killed one adult and injured two residents of a home in Ashburn, Virginia Tuesday morning.
The fire sparked just before 1:30 a.m. in the 42900 block of Nashua Street, leaving nine adults and two children without a home. Two people were taken to a burn center for injuries but are expected to survive.
The name of the victim who died has not been released.
One house completely burned to the ground, according to a spokesperson from the Loudoun County Fire Department, while the other three were left with significant damage.
Crews were still on the scene hours later working to put out remaining hot spots, however, the majority of the fire was out around 3 a.m. Approximately 50 firefighters were on scene, as well as fire marshals who will investigate the cause.
An official with Loudoun County Fire & Rescue said the fire was accidental due to an "improperly discarded smoking material."
Chief Keith Johnson cited winds and gas as contributing causes.
"We had very windy conditions this morning," Chief Johnson said. "The fire had spread to three additional structures, and all pretty significantly involved in fire."
Michael Hart woke up to his dog barking. He tried to use his garden hose to prevent the fire from destroying his neighbor's home.
"I noticed the fire was bouncing," Hart told WUSA9. "It was a bizarre weather thing. It wasn't left or right but a circular thing, but it was bouncing house to house with embers."
"It was super, super windy," recalled neighbor Estela Braza. "When the fire hose was hitting the house, you can see the steam going from one side to the other because of the strong wind."
Neighbors have started a donation page to help affected families. To learn more, click on this link.
Experts who have previously spoken to WUSA9 shared tips for the public to avoid house fires. Their main piece of advice is to never leave anything unattended --- be it a space heater, fireplace or candle.
The National Fire Protection Association reports that heating equipment is the second-leading cause of U.S. home fires and the third-leading cause of home fire deaths and injuries.
The DMV is seeing a brief rash of winter weather again, at its worst on Monday night, with low temperatures in the 20s. However, springtime temperatures are expected to return and stick around by Wednesday.
D.C.'s fire marshal and Montgomery County's fire chief said there are simple ways to protect yourself if you're chilly at home and are looking to heat up your space:
- Keep a minimum of three feet of space around space heaters
- Plug space heaters directly into a wall, never a power strip or extension cord
- Make sure that alternative heat sources are unplugged and off whenever you leave the room they're in
- Do not use your oven or stove to heat your home, because that creates carbon monoxide
- Ensure adequate ventilation when using a fireplace or woodstove