Update: Eight displaced by Hybla Valley townhouse fire

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Eight people were displaced by a townhouse fire in the Hybla Valley area early Sunday morning.

Nobody was home during the blaze, which began around 2:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of Carter Farm Court (see map). A neighbor called 911 after seeing the fire.

No civilian or firefighters were injured, according to a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue news release.

A neighbor who witnessed the fire said that the fire also damaged a second townhouse next door, displacing another four residents from that home. 

“I heard a loud pop and some crackling and looked out the window and saw all the bright lights,” said Amy Kraut, who called 911 to report the blaze.

The fire department’s press release did not mention the second townhouse being affected. The fire department’s PIO office did not return a phone call seeking more information. 

The fire department needed to return to the townhouse again Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m. after the fire flared up again. The fire department did not give any details on how the fire restarted in its press release.

The cause of the initial fire, which was ruled accidental, was improperly discarded smoking materials on the rear deck of the home, according to the fire department.

Residents declined Red Cross assistance. Damage to the house where the fire started is estimated to be $197,500, the fire department said. They did not include a tally for damage to the second townhouse.

This story has been updated to include a new total of residents displaced.