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The cause of the blaze that killed Stirling's Jason Urchesko, his two dogs and a cat has been traced back to the battery of an electric bike, said fire officials, noting the home was also without working smoke alarms.
Urchasko remained in critical condition at Inova Lansdowne Hospital following the 4 a.m. fire at his Thrush Road home in Stirling.
Firefighters arrived to find flames coming from the rear of the home, and found Urchasko inside, unconscious with several unresponsive pets. Two dogs, and a cat were declared deceased on the scene, while their owner died two days later.
According to his LinkedIn page, Urchasko worked as a business analyst and was a board member of the Arc of Northern Virginia.
"The victim’s family is comforted knowing that Jason’s act of organ donation can give the gift of life to another family in need," Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said.
Fire Chief Keith Johnson hopes residents take two important messages from the fatal fire: "Have working smoke alarms and use caution with these lithium batteries that are being used in more and more household products," he said.
For more information about our free smoke alarm program services, visit www.loudoun.gov/smokealarms. Specific tips on lithium battery safety can be found here.
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