Seven people displaced by fire in Sequoyah neighborhood

A fire originating in the chimney of a townhouse in the Sequoyah neighborhood on Wednesday night displaced seven people, according the Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department.

No residents or firefighters were injured in the fire, which was reported shortly after 11 p.m. in the 8000 block of Pantano Place (see map).

Flames were visible from the front of the two-story townhouse when firefighters arrived, the fire department said. The eight people inside the townhouse had already evacuated after one of the occupants noticed the fire. Smoke alarms were working and did go off around the same time the fire was discovered, the fire department said.

The fire extended into the townhouse’s second floor and attic, and a second alarm was called in. Fire personnel from Fort Belvoir and the City of Alexandria were among those who provided mutual aid to the Fairfax units on the scene.

Investigators determined that the fire was accidental. It started in the chimney “when radiant heat escaped from the operating wood-burning fireplace through an open seam in the chimney assembly igniting the nearby ordinary combustibles,” the fire department said in its press release.

Red Cross assistance was provided to the seven residents of the townhouse. Damages to the townhouse were estimated to be approximately $93,750.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department recommends residents to make sure their chimney is clean and working properly by having a licensed chimney sweep clean and inspect your chimney every year. Frequent users of their chimney or wood burning stove should get checks even more often, the fire department said.