Neighbors Extinguish Fire in West McLean Home

A West McLean couple are thanking their neighbors for quickly putting out a fire that started in their kitchen Monday evening.

"We have a great neighborhood," said Janet Fitch. "We believe these four individuals saved our house."

Both Janet Fitch and Sarah Guillou were away from their Spring Vale Avenue home, but their neighbors in the back were grilling outside.

Pam Justice saw a fire in her neighbor's house and called to husband John. Both hopped over the fence. At about the same time next door neighbors Jody Marshall and Jefri Wood also noticed the small fire.

"The two guys converged on the house. Pam went in and got the two dogs," Janet Fitch said.

John Justice used a fire extinguisher on the fire. Jefri grabbed the nearby garden hose to soak the kitchen area ignited by a fire around a toaster, Fitch said.

"By the time the fire department arrived the fire was 90 percent out," she said.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue agreed. A neighbor called the fire in. The neighbor came over with the fire extinguisher to put out most of the fire, said Dan Schmidt, a spokesperson for the fire department.

 Firefighters arrived a few minutes later and completely extinguished it, Schmidt said.

Janet Fitch, who grew up in McLean, said the home originally belonged to her grandparents and has been in her family for three generations.

Their garage was once a chicken coop she said.

Fitch and Guillou spent most of Tuesday  talking to their insurance company and contractors who could help them restore their single-story home that now reeks of smoke. It will take 3-6 months to repair the damage, Fitch said.

In the meantime they continue to praise their neighbors.