ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Improperly discarded smoking materials sparked an apartment fire that spread through the roof of a South Pickett Street building Sunday, leaving 14 apartments uninhabitable, Alexandria fire investigators announced late Sunday night.
The fire department said the blaze began in a planter on an apartment balcony 251 South Pickett Street. Flames spread to the attic and an adjacent apartment before breaking through the roof. The finding followed a scene examination and interviews with residents by the Fire Marshal’s Office.
Firefighters were dispatched at approximately 9:03 a.m. Sunday. Crews arriving at the residential building encountered visible flames and smoke, and firefighters from Fairfax County assisted with the response.
One firefighter was injured, according to NBC4 Washington’s report on the response. The station reported no civilian injuries.
The American Red Cross is assisting residents displaced from the 14 apartments, according to the city.
The department classified the fire as accidental and urged residents to extinguish cigarettes and other smoking materials in sturdy, noncombustible containers containing sand or water, rather than discarding them in planters or mulch.
