Gas-Fed Fire Shoots Through Roof of West Springfield Home

(UPDATE 9:35 p.m.): Gina Cotton was away from home Wednesday night when a fire broke out at her home in Springfield. She was leading a Girl Scout meeting — she runs Troop 282.

No one was injured in the fire. Two adults and three children are displaced and they have alternative shelter for the night.

Cotton was worried about the family pet. "I have a cat," she said. "I don't know where she is yet. They're trying to find her."

Cotton said the battalion chief at the fire told her it appears a gas line exploded, but the cause is still under investigation.

Battalion Chief Edith Eshleman said they received the call at 7:46 p.m. and arrived at 7:59 p.m. "When we got here we saw fire on the outside of the home starting to enter. The fire crews immediately got to work and we had the fire under control and out in less than 10 minutes."

The fire and rescue team are currently observing the home, including the attic to determine damages.

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Firefighters from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to a fire Wednesday night at a residence on Davis Field Lane in West Springfield. It appears it was a gas-fed fire, but firefighters are uncertain how it started.

No one was at home when the fire broke out, according to Captain Will Bailey, a spokesman for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. No injuries were reported. 

"It was a gas-fed fire," Bailey said. "They turned the gas off and got it under control; residents were not home."

Neighbors, including Linda Nolte, called 911 at about 7:45 p.m.: "I heard a boom," she said. "I came outside and saw a line of fire along the side of the house. I saw a guy trying to put it out with a hose so I ran inside to find the phone."

Four engines and two trucks from four nearby fire stations responded to the call. 

Cindy Raiford, also a neighbor, said: "We were out shopping and we saw this when we came back. We've never seen something like this happen before."

There is no estimate yet on the amount of damage to the home, Bailey said. He said he was not sure if the family was displaced by the fire. Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.

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