Crime & Safety

Fairfax Fire Under Investigation

Homeowner: Fire started outside, behind the house

The Fairfax County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of a fire that ripped through a family home in the early morning hours Wednesday on Marlborough Road in Fairfax County.

The call for emergency assistance came from the homeowner on Wednesday at 2:17 a.m. Investigators began looking for clues at the scene shortly thereafter. "The Fire Marshal investigators were here that night," said homeowner Earl Miller. "They asked me if anybody smoked in the house, if we have a grill or propane. No one smokes, we don't have a grill, and we only have empty propane tanks."

Miller said the family--which includes his wife, Jean, their daughter Beth, and their three grandchildren, ages 4, 7 and 11--was lucky to get out of the house. "The smoke alarm just beeped a couple of times," he said. "I would have gone back to sleep but my wife got up. She saw flames outside our grandaughter's window. I grabbed my pants and my cell phone and got out of there." Once his family was out of the house, he quickly called 9-1-1. "I know they got here in just a few minutes but it seemed like forever."

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Reports circulated of firefighters answering a call to a home across the street, for an earlier fire in a trash can that same evening. "I didn't see the fire, but that's what I understand," Miller said. The call could not be confirmed by Dan Schmidt, public information officer for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. "I cannot corroborate that, we get hundreds of calls," Schmidt said. The neighbor at the home is currently out of town, Miller said.

Talk also circulated of a man who was not a firefighter and not a member of the family who was taken to the hospital by ambulance that night from the scene, suffering from a "panic attack." "That's what I heard," Miller said. Schmidt said there "were no transports in connection with the fire."

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While repairs are made to their home, the Miller family is staying with another daughter who lives in Burke. Their insurance company is helping them find temporary housing while their home is being rebuilt. Workers were busy inside and outside the home today as Miller stood outside.

Miller, retired from UPS, said his insurance company has acted quickly, and his current employer, Home Depot, has also helped out. He expects it could be up to eight months before he and his family can move back into their home, where they've lived for 30 years.

The Millers were trying to keep the younger children's week as normal as possible. The two oldest were attending school today. Their mother, Beth, who is expecting her fourth child, sat in an SUV in the driveway with her mother, out of the cold. Temperatures today were in the low 40s.

Beth "is a wonderful person, she's the real deal," said her employer, Elliot Rosen, managing partner of BayFirst Solutions in D.C. "We wanted to do anything we could to help out." Her colleagues have made purchases to replace nursery items lost in the fire. The company has also set up a fund for anyone who wants to make a donation. Donations can be made to "The Miller Fund" and mailed to:

The Miller Fund
P.O. Box 5474
Takoma Park, MD  20913

Anyone with information about the fire should contact the Fairfax County Fire Marshal's Office at (703) 246-4386.


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