Residents, Dogs Safe After Rose Hill House Fire

ROSE HILL, VA — Three people were displaced but no one was injured as a result of a Saturday fire in Rose Hill, according to Fairfax County and Rescue.

Around 9:02 p.m., Fairfax County and Alexandria firefighters responded to a single-family home in the 4500 block of Apple Tree Drive. Units found fire showing from the rear of the home and worked to quickly extinguish it.

Three people had been home when the fire broke out. A resident smelled smoke and discovered the fire in the workshop. All residents and three dogs safely evacuated. Smoke alarms sounded after the fire was found.

According to fire investigators, improperly discarded smoking materials caused the fire in the workshop behind the garage. Damages were estimated to be $30,000. Three people were displaced, but Red Cross assistance was declined.

In light of the fire's cause, Fairfax County and Rescue shared the following tips on properly discarding smoking materials:

• 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.
• 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. They 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.