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Improperly discarded smoking materials led to a massive multi-million dollar fire in Leesburg that destroyed one home and damaged several neighboring properties, according to officials on Friday, April 21.
First responders were called at approximately 11:10 a.m. the previous day to the 40200 block of Browns Creek Place, where there was a reported house fire that was ripping through a family home.
Upon arrival, crews were met by “significant smoke and fire conditions,” though all of the homeowners and occupants were already to make it out of the large home.
Once it was confirmed they were safe, due to the nature of the blaze, firefighters opted to extinguish the fire from the exterior of the home, rather than risk heading inside.
The fire caused an estimated $2.15 million in damages, including:
- $1.2 million for the primary home;
- $750,000 for its contents;
- $200,000 for two neighboring homes that suffered exterior damage from heat that emanated from the fire.
Five occupants of the home were displaced, and one cat is unaccounted for, according to officials. One firefighter was also taken to an area hospital for evaluation of an undisclosed injury.
Officials noted that the home is in an area of Loudoun County where fire hydrants are not present, and additional units had to be called in from Ashburn, Kirkpatrick Farms, Lucketts, Purcellville, Lovettsville, and Prince William County to assist with water supply operations.
Those units shuttled water to the scene from nearby sources through 3,000-gallon water tanks to ensure crews at the scene had a sufficient supply while battling the blaze.
According to the US Fire Administration, as recently as 2020, home fires started be discarding smoking materials have led to 330 fatalities, 725 injuries, and nearly $375 billion in losses.
This week in Loudoun County alone, two similar instances led to two fires that caused upwards of $2.5 million in damages.
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