Hair Dryer Causes House Fire In Mount Vernon Area: Fire Department

MOUNT VERNON, VA — A house fire in the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County Wednesday afternoon caused $37,500 in damage, according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.

Shortly before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, units from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and the Fort Belvoir Department of Fire and Emergency Services responded to the fire in the 3700 block of Nalls Road.

When the units arrived on the scene of the two-story, single-family home, smoke was visible from the front door. Crews quickly located a small fire in the basement and extinguished it, the fire department said.

One person was inside the house at the time of the fire. She noticed smoke coming from the basement of the home and then got out of the house. Her husband called 911 from another location to report the fire. Smoke alarms were present and sounded after the fire was discovered.

There were no reported civilian or firefighter injuries, the fire department said.

Fairfax County fire investigators determined the fire was accidental in nature and started in the basement bathroom. The cause of the fire was an electrical event involving a hair dryer.

No occupants were displaced by the fire, and Red Cross assistance was not needed, the fire department said.