Christmas Day House Fire In Fairfax Displaces 5 Occupants

FAIRFAX, VA — A Christmas Day fire displaced five occupants and caused about $55,000 in damage to a house in the Fairfax section of Fairfax County. At about 12:40, units from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and the City of Fairfax Fire Department were dispatched for a reported house fire in the 5000 block of Oakcrest Drive.

Units arrived on the scene of a two-story, single family home to find fire on a side exterior wall, extending to the attic. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire. The fire caused no injuries to the residents or firefighters, according to a Dec. 27 report from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.

Five occupants were home at the time of the fire. A neighbor discovered the fire on the exterior and roof of the house and alerted the occupants and then called 911. Working smoke alarms were found in the house, but they did not sound due to the location of the fire, the fire department said.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started in an exterior wall on the side the home and was accidental in nature. The cause of the fire was an electrical malfunction involving the wiring of a branch circuit within the wall stud space.

Red Cross services were offered to the occupants, but they declined, according to the fire department