Two Women Killed in House Fires, One Caused by Unused Microwave

Two women were killed yesterday in separate fires, one in Fairfax County and one in Howard County, authorities said.

In the first incident, a 49-year-old woman and one of her two Pomeranian dogs were killed in an unusual early-morning fire in a Lorton townhouse. The fire was caused by a microwave, which was not in use at the time, police said. Two men escaped, one by jumping out of a third-story window, police said.

Four men, including the man who leapt to safety and two firefighters, were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Firefighters fought the blaze, which broke out about 1 a.m., for a half-hour, said Dan Schmidt, a spokesman for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.

Schmidt said Debra Elaine Chiles, who lived in the three-story townhouse in the 9200 block of Cardinal Forest Lane, died of smoke inhalation. Firefighters found her body in a small windowless bathroom on the third floor.

The fire was mostly contained to the home and caused an estimated $375,000 in damage, police said. There was minor damage to a neighboring townhouse, they said.

Chiles's death was the fifth fire fatality in Fairfax this year.

In the second incident, an 83-year-old woman was killed in a two-alarm blaze in Howard County yesterday morning, authorities said.

Firefighters found Bina Das dead in a hallway on the second floor of her single-family detached home in the 9500 block of Windbeat Way, in Columbia. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries in the blaze, said Bill Mould, a spokesman for Howard County Fire and Rescue. Das was home alone at the time of the fire. The cause has not been determined.

In Lorton, when firefighters arrived at the townhouse, flames were fanning out from the first floor, and heavy smoke was billowing from the second and third floors. The fire quickly spread to two alarms, and more than 60 firefighters fought the blaze.

"The fire was accidental," Schmidt said. "A microwave in the kitchen caused it." Schmidt said investigators were trying to determine what about the microwave caused the fire.

Schmidt called the appliance fire unusual. "It could have been a malfunction in the microwave; it could have been a connection," he said. Schmidt said that the microwave was charred and that investigators could not identify the brand or serial number.

Neighbors said Chiles lived in the townhouse with her boyfriend and her adult son Aaron, who had attended Hayfield Secondary School. Officials said they believe Chiles's boyfriend was the man who jumped out of the townhouse window.

Neighbors said the family had two Pomeranians and a cat.

"I saw one of the Pomeranians in the crowd around the townhouse this morning after the fire," said a neighbor who asked not to be identified. "One of the dogs must have gotten out."

Schmidt said larger dogs usually have a better chance of escaping fires because they can break a window and jump higher than smaller dogs, such as Pomeranians.