1 Firefighter Remains in Hospital After Blaze Started by Cigarette

by The Washington Post reports

Originally published at 12:00 a.m., May 27, 2008
Updated at 5:26 p.m., May 28, 2008

A discarded cigarette thrown on the deck of a Loudoun County home caused a weekend blaze that seriously injured two firefighters, a Loudoun fire official said. One firefighter remained hospitalized Wednesday.

The two-alarm fire, which began shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday at 43238 Meadowood Court near Leesburg, started on the front porch before quickly spreading through the house, said W. Keith Brower Jr., Loudoun's chief fire marshal .

Damage was estimated at $600,000.

Dozens of firefighters from Loudoun and Fairfax counties responded to the blaze. Four Ashburn firefighters who were among the first to arrive had to jump from a second-floor window because the fire spread quickly. Three of those firefighters were taken to the burn unit at Washington Hospital Center. Another firefighter was taken to Inova Loudoun Hospital at Lansdowne, treated and released Monday.

One of the three firefighters at Washington Hospital Center was released Monday, and another was released Tuesday.

Another remained hospitalized Wednesday in serious but stable condition.

A volunteer firefighter from Sterling was treated overnight at Inova Loudoun Hospital's Cornwall campus and released Monday.

A sixth firefighter, a volunteer with the Loudoun County Rescue, was treated by paramedics at the scene.

The names of those injured and the extent of their injuries were not released. Investigators with the Loudoun Fire Marshal's office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were trying to determine how the injuries occurred, said Mary L. Maguire, county fire department spokeswoman.

She said four firefighters went inside, and "things started to deteriorate rapidly. They called for a Mayday," an emergency distress call.

"They were in trouble, and they were getting out," she said. "As they did, those injuries occurred."

No one was inside the two-story colonial at the time of the fire. The homeowner, identified by neighbors and property records as Janis L. Creekmore, 47, declined to comment Monday.

"The road ahead is going to be challenging for our firefighters," Loudoun Fire Chief Joseph E. Pozzo said in a statement. "On behalf of the Loudoun County Fire-Rescue system, we wish to thank all who have extended their support and well wishes. Something of this magnitude has a far reaching impact on all of us within fire-rescue."

After smelling smoke and hearing a commotion, neighbor Diana Stumm said she looked out to see "flames coming out the rooftop."

Then, she said, "the roof was just totally on fire. Flames were coming out of the windows, billowing out and up on the roof."

"There was black smoke everywhere," said another neighbor, Vera Stewart.

Nearby resident John Steedman said that when he became aware of the fire, a rear sunroom, a back deck and a rear fireplace were "almost engulfed in flame."

He said tongues of flame "were starting to lick out of the house and up onto the second story roof."

"The whole roof was in flames" within minutes, he said.

As firefighters arrived, Steedman said, some forced open the front door, while others set up a hose line to fight the blaze from the rear where the flames appeared to be most intense.

Firefighters who responded also came from Hamilton, Leesburg, Sterling and Lucketts, Maguire said.

Heat from the flames was intense enough to melt siding on adjacent houses on the two-block street, which has a cul-de-sac at either end and an intersection in the middle.

Donations for the injured firefighters may be sent to the D.C. Firefighter's Burn Foundation at P.O. Box 71056, Washington, D.C., 20024.

Tagged: Fire, firefighters, Leesburg, Loudoun County Fire/Rescue

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