Couch Catches Fire In Bailey's Crossroads High Rise

BAILEY'S CROSSROADS, VA — A fire at a Bailey's Crossroads high rise building injured one resident on Tuesday, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.

Fairfax County, Arlington County and Alexandria fire units responded to the fire around 3:31 p.m. Tuesday. Units were notified of a fire on the 16th floor of the building in the 3700 block of South George Mason Drive. Inside the apartment unit, a couch had caught fire with extension to nearby contents.

One resident was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. There were no firefighter injuries.

Investigators determined a discarded cigarette started the fire on the couch. Damages were estimated to be $7,000, and the unit's resident was displaced. Red Cross services were not needed.

The fire department urged residents to follow these tips to prevent cigarette fires:

• Completely douse butts and ashes with water before throwing them away.
• 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 aare 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.
• Never dispose of cigarette butts in potted planting soil. The soil, when it gets too dry, can become highly flammable.
• 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.