November 11, 2018 – At 12:05 pm fire department units from Arlington and Fairfax County were dispatched to the 600 block of South Carlin Springs Road for reports of smoke in the hallway on the 3rd floor and an alarm sounding. Crews arrived to find a 7 story apartment building with nothing showing from the outside. Upon entering the building, crews located a small fire in an apartment on the 3rd floor which is the ground level floor for the apartment building. Crews quickly extinguished the fire, and determined the fire apartment and adjacent apartments were unoccupied at the time of the fire. Units quickly changed over to removing smoke from the structure using fans to push the smoke out of the hallways. One resident on an upper floor was evaluated for a medical issue, but was not transported. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported. Once the smoke was removed, all occupants, with the exception of the fire apartment, were allowed to reoccupy the structure.
The Fire Marshal investigated the fire shortly after it was extinguished, and determined the cause to be an unattended candle. Damage from the fire was estimated at $5,000.
Safety Takeaways
- Never leave candles unattended. Blow out all candles before you leave a room or go to bed.
- Keep candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn.
- Candle Fire Safety Tip Sheet from NFPA
- If there’s a fire, just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the smoke and fire.
- Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
