Crime & Safety
Update: House Fire Displaces Four, No Injuries Reported
Emergency crews continue to fight fire, which began inside the garage.
A family of four has been displaced from their home at 16605 Ferriers Court in Leesburg after it caught fire at about 5:30 p.m. Monday night.
Karla Irvine, along with two of her children, were home when the fire began. All three made it out safely and no injuries were reported. Her husband was said to be on his way home from work when the fire broke out. A third child is away at college.
Neighbor Nicole Lutz said she was playing outside with her children when she heard what sounded like firecrackers coming from the home.
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“I saw black smoke coming from the garage and I was like, ‘I don’t think that’s right.’ So we ran from the end of the cul-de-sac up here and as soon as I got to the edge of their driveway I saw flames coming out of the back corner of the garage by the chimney, “ Lutz said.
“I ran and banged on the door and at the same time the son had opened the garage door and said, ‘Fire, fire.’ So I ran over here and called 9-1-1, they called 9-1-1, and it didn’t take long for it to spread.”
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Randell Shank, deputy of operations for Loudoun County Fire & Rescue, said personnel from Leesburg, Ashburn, Lucketts and Hamilton arrived to find black smoke and fire coming from the garage.
Shank said the home was a lightweight construction, which caused it to burn very quickly. The fire started inside the garage and made it’s way out of the house and into the attic.
“There are a number of hot spots, which make it difficult to get the fire taken care of and under control, Shank said. Fire and smoke could still be seen coming out of the home an hour after it began.
“It’s a rural water area. There’s no hydrants out here and so that always presents a bit of a problem for us,” Shank said. He stood near two large containers of water that were used to battle the blaze. A fire suppressing foam was also used.
At 6:38 p.m. fire teams were still battling smoke and flames. Shank said it was unclear what started the fire.
“The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s office is on the scene,” Shank said. “They will be doing an extensive investigation which could take a while.”
