Fire in Which 2 People Died Was No Accident, Officials Believe

Two people died in a house fire in the Herndon area yesterday, and Fairfax County police said they think that the blaze was probably set.

The bodies of the two adults have not been positively identified, pending autopsies this morning. Neighbors spotted the fire shortly before 4 a.m. on a private cul-de-sac in the 12000 block of Eddyspark Drive in the Kingstream neighborhood, west of the Fairfax County Parkway.

The top level of the two-story colonial house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, but they were able to extinguish it within 10 minutes. Once the embers had cooled, investigators began rooting through the ashes and found what appeared to be ignition points for the fire inside the home.

"The fire does appear suspicious in nature," said Officer Shelley Broderick, a police spokeswoman. "Based on what they have found, they believe it was not an accidental fire, probably."

Police homicide detectives then decided to obtain a search warrant and are preparing to enter the house again to seize any possible evidence of arson or murder.

Police could not say whether the victims were the home's residents, pending positive identification from the medical examiner. The residents of the home, a married couple, have lived there since it was built in 1987 and have two children, who did not live there.

Across the street, a chocolate Labrador named Gracie sounded the first alarm, barking loudly enough to awaken her owner, Wendy O'Connell. O'Connell said she was annoyed by the pre-dawn barking. But then she opened her eyes, she said, and saw that her room was "bright red" from the glow of the inferno.

She leapt out of bed, grabbed her cordless phone and ran to the burning house, then called 911 while banging on the door. Soon, the upper level was shooting sparks above her head, and she had to back away.

Other neighbors said they dashed to the house, banged on windows and yelled warnings. Some lights on the first floor were on, but no one heard any smoke alarms. "It was horrible," said Christine Terrell, who ran over from across the street.

Terrell used the incident as a teaching moment for her sons, 7-year-old Ryan and 3-year-old Mason, reminding them to get outside immediately if there is a fire. "Because if you're not out here," she told them, "I'm going to be in there looking for you."

Renee Stilwell, a fire department spokeswoman, said homes built after 1985 in Fairfax are supposed to have fire alarms hard-wired to their electrical system. But some residents in the neighborhood said their alarms were still battery-operated.

"At 4 o'clock in the morning," Stilwell said, "a smoke alarm is the only way you're going to wake up. Working smoke alarms save lives." She said it did not appear that any of the house's alarms were working.

Fire officials estimated total damage at $370,000.