Two Leesburg Residents Displaced by Townhouse Fire

Two Leesburg residents will have to find a temporary home after a Tuesday morning fire caused an estimated $55,000 damage to their townhouse on Vanderbilt Terrace in Leesburg.

Fire and rescue units from Leesburg, Ashburn and Hamilton responded to calls for a smoke at the address around 6 a.m. this morning, according to a report from Loudoun Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management and reported seeing smoke rising from the third floor of the home, which is an end unit.

Firefighters quickly searched the home and determined no occupants were present while crews extinguished the fire, according to the report.

The fire and water damage, while limited to the first and second floors of the property forced the residents to make temporary living arrangements while the estimated $55,000 in damages are repaired, according to Loudoun Fire & Rescue.

No injuries were reported.

“The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., while most families are sleeping,” said Loudoun Fire Chief W. Keith Brower Jr., adding that many people lose their sense of smell during a deep sleep stage. “The death rate per 100 reported fires is twice as high in homes without a working smoke alarm as it is in home fires with this protection.”

Need a smoke alarm? Loudoun County Fire and Rescue’s “Put a finger on it” campaign offers free home safety inspections and smoke alarms to all Loudoun County residents. If your smoke alarms are broken or outdated the department will replace them with battery-powered alarms at no cost and install additional alarms as necessary. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the department hotline 703-737-8093 or visit www.loudoun.gov/smokealarms.