Virginia Fire Displaces Dozens, Causes Nearly $300K in Damages

Two people suffered life-threatening injuries and dozens of people have been displaced after a fire broke out at a Herndon apartment building, Fairfax County fire officials said.

Firefighters responded to the apartments on Park Avenue on Thursday evening and found found fire coming from the second floor and the stairwell filled with smoke, fire officials said in a news release.

A mother and her three young children tied sheets together and climbed down to safety before firefighters arrived and three residents were rescued by ladder, officials said.

Nine residents were taken to the hospital, including two with life-threatening injuries, officials said.

Four people in the apartment where the fire started fled when the fire was discovered and another resident saw smoke and called 911, officials said. There were no working smoke alarms in the apartment where the fire started.

Investigators determined that the accidental fire was caused by an electrical event involving a charging cable in a bedroom.

The fire left 11 apartments uninhabitable, displacing 44 residents, officials said. Damages were approximately $287,500.

Topics Virginia