Gunston Area House Fire 'Sounded Like An Explosion': Fire Department

LORTON, VA — A house fire in the Gunston area of Fairfax County on Sunday evening caused more than $123,000 in damage, according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.

No one was at home at the time of the fire, which started underneath the home’s sunroom deck, the fire department said. Fire investigators determined the cause of the fire was a floor heater that "ignited ordinary combustibles."

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries. Two were transported to a hospital for a check-up and one was treated on-scene, according to the fire department.

One civilian bystander was evaluated for an unrelated illness or injury, the fire department said.

At about 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, several neighbors reported hearing what "sounded like an explosion" at the house and called 911, fire officials said. Two neighbors reported seeing flames underneath the sunroom deck, according to the fire department.

Units from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, the Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department, and the Fort Belvoir Department of Fire and Emergency Services were dispatched to the house fire, which was in the 10900 block of Harley Road in the Gunston area.

The units arrived on the scene of the two-story, single-family home, with the deck and the exterior side of the house fully engulfed in fire. The fire was quickly brought under control and extinguished.

The fire department said there were initial reports of two occupants possibly trapped inside the home. But the fire department was able to confirm that the two occupants were out of town.

The total damage from the fire was estimated at $123,467, the fire department said. The two people who live at the house were displaced because of the fire. The occupants did not require Red Cross assistance, according to the fire department.