2 Firefighters Still Hospitalized; Smoking Materials Blamed

Officials Say Fire Did Nearly $600,000 in Damage

By Tim Richardson

Originally published at 11:11 p.m., May 25, 2008
Updated at 8:16 p.m., May 26, 2008

Improperly discarded smoking materials are to blame for a Leesburg house fire that injured six firefighters Sunday afternoon, investigators said Monday.

Chief Fire Marshal William Keith Brower said the smoking materials ignited combustibles on the deck of the home at about 1 p.m. Sunday at 43238 Meadowood Court. The fire then spread up the exterior of the home and into the attic.

Brower said Monday the fire did an estimated $600,000 in damage to the home.

Two firefighters, both members of the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management, remained hospitalized Monday evening, a day after escaping the home as it was engulfed in flames. The firefighters were patients at the burn unit at Washington Hospital Center.

One firefighter was listed in serious but stable condition and the other was listed in stable condition Monday evening, officials said.

Fire and rescue personnel arrived at the two-alarm fire to find heavy smoke coming from the attic of the two-story, single-family home. Fire and rescue spokeswoman Mary Maguire said firefighters performed a search of the home while also working to extinguish the blaze.

The firefighters had to escape the home as conditions inside worsened, Maguire said. Four were injured while trying to leave.

Two of the six injured firefighters were released from hospital treatment Monday, including one who was released from the Washington Hospital Center and another who was released from the Lansdowne campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital.

A fifth firefighter injured at the scene -- a volunteer member of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company -- was treated and later released from the Cornwall Campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital. A sixth firefighter, who is a volunteer member of Loudoun Rescue, was treated at the scene Sunday but didn't require hospital treatment.

Officials said the investigation into the events that led to the injuries is ongoing.

"The road ahead is going to be challenging for our firefighters," Loudoun Fire-Rescue Chief Joseph Pozzo said in a statement Monday. "Something of this magnitude has a far-reaching impact on all of us within Fire-Rescue. It is comforting and reassuring to know that there are many out there who are standing by us during this time."

The homeowner wasn't at home at the time of the fire and is staying with relatives. The American Red Cross provided assistance at the scene.

Residents can make a donation by check or PayPal on behalf of the injured firefighters through the DC Firefighter Burn Foundation. The address is DC Firefighter Burn Foundation, PO Box 71056, Washington, DC, 20024.

Tagged: Fire, Leesburg, Loudoun County Fire/Rescue

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