2 Firefighters Remain in Hospital After Blaze Started by Cigarette

A discarded cigarette thrown on the deck of a Loudoun County home caused a weekend blaze that seriously injured two firefighters, a Loudoun fire official said.

The two-alarm fire, which began shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday at 43238 Meadowood Ct. near Leesburg, started on the front porch before quickly spreading through the house, said W. Keith Brower Jr., Loudoun's chief fire marshal.

Damage was estimated at $600,000.

Dozens of firefighters from Loudoun and Fairfax counties responded to the blaze. Four Ashburn firefighters who were among the first to arrive had to jump from a second-floor window because the fire spread quickly. Three of those firefighters were taken to the burn unit at Washington Hospital Center. Another firefighter was taken to Inova Loudoun Hospital at Lansdowne, treated and released yesterday.

One of the three firefighters at Washington Hospital Center was released yesterday.

The other two remained hospitalized last night. One firefighter was in serious but stable condition, and the other was in stable condition.

A volunteer firefighter from Sterling was treated overnight at Inova Loudoun Hospital's Cornwall campus and released yesterday.

A sixth firefighter, a volunteer with the Loudoun County Rescue, was treated by paramedics at the scene.

The names of those injured and the extent of their injuries were not released yesterday. Investigators with the Loudoun Fire Marshal's office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were trying to determine how the injuries occurred, said Mary L. Maguire, county fire department spokeswoman.

"The road ahead is going to be challenging for our firefighters," Loudoun Fire Chief Joseph E. Pozzo said in a statement. "On behalf of the Loudoun County Fire-Rescue system, we wish to thank all who have extended their support and well wishes. Something of this magnitude has a far reaching impact on all of us within fire-rescue."

No one was inside the two-story colonial at the time of the fire. The homeowner, identified by neighbors and property records as Janis L. Creekmore, 47, declined to comment yesterday.

Donations for the injured firefighters may be sent to the D.C. Firefighter's Burn Foundation at P.O. Box 71056, Washington, D.C., 20024.