Fire at Lake Barcroft Home Displaces Couple

Firefighters from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue were called late Thursday afternoon to a home on fire on Tollgate Terrace in the Lake Barcroft neighborhood of Fairfax County.

No one was injured, but the homeowners, a husband and wife, were displaced by the fire, according to Incident Commander Captain Michael Sease, who spoke to Patch at the scene.

Smoke was billowing from the home's attic and a side of the house was on fire when firefighters arrived, he said. The home is located just off of Lakeview Drive, which is right across from the lake.

The homeowners called 911 just after 5 p.m. Thursday, Sease said.

The homeowners were having work done on the home earlier in the day, after the home sustained damage from a storm over the summer, Sease said. A local contractor was working earlier Thursday on the siding of the home and the electrical system, he noted.

One of the homeowners reportedly smelled a burning smell earlier in the day, but didn't think anything about it, he reportedly told firefighters. He left the house and returned about 5 p.m. to a house filled with smoke and "he called it in," said Sease.

The homeowners were apparently not too excited about leaving their home. "I was the first one on the scene," said Sease, "and I told the lady 'Ma'm, you need to leave the house,' and she said 'You can't tell me what to do.'"

"So I went to the attic and went to work. Other firefighters convinced her to get out."

The fire was described as a "smoldering fire" that burned through the home's ceiling and was contained within 10 to 15 minutes after firefighters arrived. The homeowners' dog was OK.

No estimates were available on the amount of damage to the home.

Lake Barcroft was in the news earlier this year, when a woman was attacked by a beaver while swimming.

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