Loudoun Home Burns After Service Line Ignites Mulch: Fire Marshal

CHANTILLY, VA — A faulty service line ignited mulch along the exterior of a Chantilly home on Saturday, causing a fire to quickly spread to the home's garage and attic, according to an investigation by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Damage to the house and one neighboring residence, located in the Loudoun County part of Chantilly, totaled $875,000, the Fire Marshal's Office said Monday. Two adults and two children were displaced by the fire. None of the residents and no firefighters were injured.

At around 5:20 p.m. Saturday, the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from a resident reporting that their neighbor’s home, located on Spring Farm Circle in Chantilly, was on fire. Fire and rescue units from Dulles South, Kirkpatrick Farms, Brambleton, Fairfax County, and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority responded to the incident.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and reported heavy smoke and fire coming from the garage of the single family home. Crews observed that the fire was quickly spreading from the garage up into the attic space. The residents of the home had been alerted to the fire by a neighbor and were located safely outside when first responders arrived.

Due to the outdoor heat index, fire and rescue crews were regularly rotated through a rehabilitation station to ensure firefighters did not suffer heat-related illness or injury, according to the Loudoun Combined Fire and Rescue system.

The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire to be accidental. Each year during spring and summer, fire departments across the country respond to structure fires involving mulch. Fires in mulch that is too close to a home can quickly grow into a major fire, causing damage to buildings, homes and other structures.

Since these fires begin outside, they often go undetected until they have grown significantly making them dangerous, the Loudoun Combined Fire and Rescue system said. To reduce the chance of having a mulch-related fire, homeowners are advised to follow these guidelines:

• Keep landscaped mulch beds moist. During periods of extreme heat and little rain, mulch fires can start more readily.
• Provide a minimum 18-inch clearance between landscaped mulch beds and combustible building materials.
• Use only electrical devices and cords listed for outdoor use, and follow the manufacturer’s specifications.
• Provide proper clearance for any electrical devices such as decorative lights by following the manufacturer’s instructions and use only approved yard light bulbs with the appropriate size and wattage.
• Consider replacing landscaping mulch with decorative stone.
• Use noncombustible mulch such as rock or pea gravel around the gas meter and next to the combustible portions of the structure.