Ashburn House Fire Displaces 4, Fire Department Says

ASHBURN, VA — A house fire displaced four people in Ashburn on Sunday night, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Officials.

Investigators said the blaze was incendiary, meaning a person intentionally started the fire without proper precautions. No criminal charges have been announced in connection with the incident.

No injuries were reported on Sunday, the fire department said.

The fire broke out around 5 p.m. on Sunday at a house on Middle Ridge Place in Ashburn. The homeowner said smoke alarms went off and they noticed smoke coming from their basement.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they noticed smoke coming from the front door and found an active fire in the basement, authorities said. Rescue crews were able to extinguish the blaze and contain it to the basement, but the rest of the home suffered smoke damage.

The Fire Marshal's Office said the fire caused $264,960.

Keith Johnson is the chief of the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System.

"Smoke alarms are the first line of defense in alerting a person to the presence of smoke and fire in the home. A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Johnson said in a news release. “This fire would have had a much different outcome if the resident had not been alerted by the smoke alarms and had crucial time to evacuate.”