Video shows dramatic rescue during February house fire

A new video made by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department uses a dramatic rescue made during a Rose Hill-area fire earlier this year to emphasize the importance of closing your doors when you sleep.

The fire, which originated in the kitchen of a single-family home, broke out early in the morning hours of February 2. The short video produced by the fire department includes actual helmet camera footage from the fire, as well as interviews with firefighters from the Penn Daw firehouse, who were the first to arrive on the scene.

An 11-year-old girl was rescued from a room in the house after firefighters — who had originally been told nobody was in the house — heard her cries from behind a door. Because that door was closed, the youngster was unharmed by the intense blaze, the firefighters said.

The video was released as part of Fairfax Fire and Rescue’s “Close Before You Doze” campaign.

“Closed doors can reduce fire growth, limit damage to your home, keep temperatures down, and can even save your life if you become trapped,” Fairfax Fire and Rescue said in a press release.