Apartment Fire Displaces 22 People In Annandale, 2 Taken To Hospital

ANNANDALE, VA — About 22 people were displaced from their homes in Annandale when a fire damaged an apartment building on Little River Turnpike early Sunday morning, according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.

Two residents of the garden-style apartment building in the 7400 block of Little River Turnpike were taken to the hospital for a check-up. There were no reported firefighter injuries, fire officials said.

Fire units were dispatched to the apartment shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Sunday for the report of an apartment fire. When firefighters arrived, fire was seen on the third floor of the building, extending into the attic, according to fire officials. The department then requested a second alarm.

Fire personnel assisted in the evacuation of two residents from apartments not directly on fire, according to the fire department.

A third alarm was requested, which brought additional fire units from the City of Alexandria Fire Department. The fire was extinguished shortly after, the fire department said.

Three residents were inside the apartment unit at the time of the fire. Smoke alarms alerted the occupants to the fire. All residents got out of the apartment building before the fire units arrived.

Investigators determined the fire was accidental in nature and started in the living room of the apartment. The cause of the fire was an electrical event with a multi-plug wall adapter, the fire department said.

The Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management and Security was on-scene, working with the Red Cross, to find alternative housing options for the 22 displaced occupants.

Damage from the fire totaled more than $80,400, according to the fire department.

Overloading power strips can have potential fire safety effects on the electrical circuit. It can often lead to overheating the circuit, which can result in fires. All surge protectors or power strips need to be listed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, the fire department said.