LAKE RIDGE, Va. — Questions about what started a two-alarm blaze on Madeira Court in Lake Ridge earlier this month remain, but investigators haven’t given many answers.
A team of Fire Marshals from Prince William County are investigating the incident that left one man badly burned and occupants of at least two town homes on the street.
The fire scene was bizarre, with reports of a man running from a patch of nearby woods wearing nothing but underwear while the house was on fire. That man was said to have lived in the house, was badly burned, was taken to a hospital for treatment where he remains.
He has been interviewed by authorities.
“We’re going full-speed ahead with this investigation,” said Prince William fire and rescue Battalion Chief Curt Brodie.
Several fire crews were called to the fire scene at the town house fire on Madeira Court just off Antietam Road on March 7.
Initially, fire crews were told one person who lived in the burning house was missing, and that meant firefighters went searching for somebody they thought might be inside. It turned out no one was missing, and witnesses on the scene told Potomac Local News a man was seen running from behind the burning town house. Fire crews said that man was badly burned and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
At least three occupants were displaced from the burning house, and Brodie was unclear about the relationship of the occupants and did not provide details on who the man is, or why he was seen running from behind the house.
“This is still an active investigation. Once we have it complete, many of the details of this case will be made available in our report,” said Brodie.
The Madeira Court incident is just one of several fire incidents as of late that have kept fire investigators in Prince William County busy. A blaze took the homes of 60 people at an apartment complex outside Manassas last month. A cause for that fire has still not been determined.
“When you have a fire that consumes such a large area and does a large amount of damage, it can be difficult to determine a cause, but we investigate it just like we do for any other case,” said Brodie.
As springtime approaches, many residents will fire up their backyard barbeques. Officials with Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department hope residents in single family homes, town homes, and apartments heed safety warnings they’ve posted on their website to help prevent fires:
• No charcoal cooker, brazier, grill or any gasoline or liquefied petroleum gas-fired stove or similar device should be ignited or used on the balconies or spaces under balconies of multi-family dwellings, nor in a similar manner in any occupancy.
• Electric grills are permitted; however, as with any cooking device caution should be used.
• Charcoal cookers, braziers, grills, or any gasoline or liquefied petroleum gas-fired stove or similar device should be used safely–not less than 15 feet from any structure. Electric grills are exempt from this distance requirement.
• The management of multi-family dwellings having balconies shall notify their tenants in writing of this requirement at the time the tenant initially occupies the area, and from time to time thereafter as may be necessary to reasonably insure compliance.
