Condo Fire Displaces 3 In Merrifield, None Injured

MERRIFIELD, VA — Three people are displaced after a Sunday fire in Merrifield.

Around 1:32 p.m., units responded to a four-story condo building in the 8000 block of Gatehouse Road. No one was home when the fire occurred, and there were no firefighter or resident injuries. A neighbor had noticed the fire and called 911.

The fire was discovered on a third floor balcony, and crews quickly extinguished the blaze. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the exterior. Damages were estimated to be $16,000, and the residents declined Red Cross assistance.

Investigators determine the cause was improper disposal of smoking materials in a plastic flower pot. Residents are urged to follow the following safety tips to prevent these kinds of fires:

• Do not throw away cigarette butts in potted planting soil. The soil can be highly flammable when it gets too dry.
• Never flick cigarettes into mulch or shrubbery. Dispose of them in a suitable ashtray or bucket with sand. Ensure designated outside smoking areas have an appropriate fireproof container, ashtray or bucket.
• Completely douse butts and ashes with water before throwing them away, as they can smolder and cause a fire.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Provide large, deep ashtrays with a center support for smokers. Check furniture for any dropped ashes before going to bed. Empty ashes into a fireproof container with water and sand.
• Keep smoking materials away from anything that can burn, such as mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture and draperies.
• Never smoke in a home where oxygen is being used.
• If you smoke, choose fire-safe cigarettes, which are less likely to cause fires.
• To prevent a deadly cigarette fire, you must be alert. You won’t be if you are sleepy, have been drinking, or have taken medicine or other drugs.
• Keep matches and lighters up high, out of children’s sight and reach.