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As I sat reading The Washington Post with my fresh cup of coffee about a dozen years ago, I came across an article about a townhouse fire in Falls Church VA on Dominion Way. It had been the evening before, and I thought about the fact that some of my real estate clients lived on Dominion Way.
“Jeepers, I wonder if they saw the fire?” I thought.
So I drove over to check out the situation, only to see yellow police tape around their front door. As I walked up, it was obvious that the neighbor’s townhouse was really damaged and there was still a thick smoke scent in the air.
As it turned out, their neighbor had placed hot coals on his deck which ignited the bag and a three-alarm fire. My client’s house had extensive water damage (from the FD) and heavy smoke damage, but had escaped most of the fire thanks to the firewall between the units.
Luckily, they were okay…
They were both okay but their house was a mess and their lives were upside down living in an apartment for six months. Yes, their homeowner’s insurance covered the cost of repair and the apartment (always get good insurance).
- Make sure you have working smoke detectors at least on every level
- Have a working fire extinguisher
- Plan an escape route, and a meeting place outside the home
- Dial 911 if you even suspect your home is on fire (fires double in size every minute)
- Replace Fire/Smoke Alarms every 10 years
- Test your smoke alarms this weekend!
Early October is always Fire Prevention Week and I encourage all of you to read through their site and be prepared to contain a fire or escape a fire in an emergency.
Vienna, VA and McLean, VA Fire Station usually have tours, but not in 2020
- Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, 400 Center Street S, Vienna VA 22180 (more info)
- McLean Volunteer Fire Department, 1455 Laughlin Ave, McLean VA 22101 (more info)
