At approximately 1430, units from Stonewall, Manassas City, Manassas Park, Yorkshire, Bristow, Buckhall, and Gainesville were dispatched to Box 1110 for a reported house fire on Lomond Drive. A caller reported smoke visible from the roof and front door of a house. Engine, Ambulance, and Medic 511 were just arriving on the scene of an unconscious elsewhere in the first due. T511 responded from quarters and arrived on the scene within minutes, reporting smoke showing from the eves of a split-level single-family home. Upon conducting a walkaround, T511’s officer noted a vehicle in the driveway and at the front curb, heavy smoke throughout the house, and no one outside. Unable to rule out trapped occupants, T511’s crew forced entry and began to search the house even though no engine was on scene. Splitting an entry crew of four, the crew searched the upper and lower floor simultaneously while the driver threw ladders for egress. BC501Y arrived and established Lomond Command.

As visibility worsened and heat intensified, T511’s crew located the fire in the basement and searched bedrooms upstairs, limiting ventilation due to the lack of a hoseline. E508 arrived on the scene and stretched a handline to the seat of the fire. R501 arrived and went to the roof to ventilate, opening a large hole which improved visibility and reduced the heat on crews still searching the upper floor. E501 arrived and stretched a second line and E509 arrived and established RIT. TWR501 placed additional ground ladders and shut off utilities. E525 stretched an additional line to the upper floor, and E504B entered to support E508. E511 cleared from the EMS call and responded, supplying a second hydrant and providing manpower.

Before the fire was extinguished, it vented out the front window and burned through the stairs to the top floor. Crews got an all-clear on the structure and extinguished the fire which originated in a downstairs storage area. It was determined that the occupants had been away from the house in another vehicle.

Thanks to the coordinated effort of all crews, the operation was concluded safely and quickly. 7 occupants were displaced. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.