Jeep Catches Fire In Carport, Causing $87K In Damage To Home In Lake Barcroft Area

LAKE BARCROFT, VA — Fire investigators with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department determined that a fire in the Lake Barcroft area of the county started in the engine compartment of a Jeep Wrangler that was parked in the home’s carport.

On March 31 around 4:50 p.m., fire units from both Fairfax County and Arlington County were dispatched for a reported house fire in the 6300 block of Cavalier Corridor in the Lake Barcroft area.

When they arrived on the scene of the one-story, single-family home, a vehicle, a 2007 Jeep Wrangler, was on fire in the carport, with the fire spreading to part of the house, the fire department said.

Crews worked quickly to extinguish the fire, limiting the majority of fire damage to the outside of the home, according to the fire department.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury. No people inside the home at the time of the fire or neighbors who assisted were injured.

Two people were home at the time of the fire. A caregiver discovered the vehicle fire in the carport. She called 911 to report the fire, fire officials said.

Neighbors then helped with getting the homeowner, who was in a wheelchair, out of the house. Everyone was safely evacuated from the home by the time firefighters arrived.

Smoke alarms were present but did not alert due to the location of the fire, according to the fire department.

Fire investigators determined the fire was accidental in nature and started in the engine compartment of the Jeep Wrangler. “The fire was caused by an electric event within the electrical system,” the fire department said last Thursday.

The homeowner, who was displaced because of the fire, accepted services offered by the Red Cross. Investigators estimated the damage from the fire totaled about $87,000.