2-Alarm Fire In Brambleton Starts With Potting Soil, Displaces 5 People

BRAMBLETON, VA — Potting soil was the origin point of a two-alarm house fire in Brambleton Saturday, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.

Firefighters responded to multiple 911 calls around 9:55 p.m. Saturday in the 23400 block of Virginia Rose Place. Units found a single-family home with significant fire showing from the back and the roof.

A second alarm was requested to bring additional firefighters to the scene. It took numerous hand lines and master stream devices on multiple sides of the home to put out much of the fire in 20 minutes. Firefighters worked for an hour to contain and put out the entire fire.

There were no reported injuries to residents or firefighters. Five residents were displaced, with damages from the fire estimated at $1,696,864. Homes on both sides had damage to the siding but remain habitable, according to the fire department. Smoke alarms were working in the home.

The fire marshal's office determined the fire's cause was combustion of potting soil stored under the deck. According to the fire department, fires originating in landscaping mulch and other organic planting materials can quickly spread to shrubs, exterior walls and into homes.

"Spontaneous combustion can happen when a decomposing, organic material, such as mulch or potting soil, generates enough heat to ignite without an outside source,
said Assistant Chief of Operations James Williams in a news release. "As a result, a large or compacted area of these materials can create sufficient heat to spontaneously combust. It’s important to remember that in all cases, these fires are more likely to occur when the weather is hot, and it’s been dry for an extended period."

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue recommended the following tips for fire safety with gardens and landscaping:

• Maintain at least 18 inches of clearance between the edge of a mulch bed and flammable building materials, such as vinyl siding and wooden decks.
• Keep landscaped mulch beds moist if possible.
• Recognize that hot and dry spells, along with windy conditions, allow mulch fires to start more readily.
• Ensure proper clearance to electric devices, such as lights, by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Use non-combustible materials such as river rock, pea gravel or crushed rock for the first 18 inches around the base of a building with combustible siding and around gas and electrical meters.
• Consider using brick or non-combustible exterior siding when building or renovating a structure.
• Use only approved receptacles to dispose of matches, cigarettes, and cigars such as sturdy metal or ceramic containers filled with sand, located away from the structure.
• Immediately report any smoke or fire by calling 911.

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue units from Arcola, Moorefield, Dulles South, Kirkpatrick Farms, Ashburn, and Leesburg responded to the fire, as well as the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Fairfax County, and numerous command officers.