| Matt Vecchio | Loudoun Times-Mirror Glenn Dell kicked in the front door of the house in the area of Piggott Bottom Road and Berlin Turnpike in Hamilton. He was only met with smoke. Dell, a worker in the area who has seen significant structural fires before, recognized that the house was in flames. His quick actions ensured that nobody was in the house, which was later confirmed by Loudoun County Fire Rescue personnel on the scene. "Within a matter of minutes [after the 1 pm 9-1-1 call], our firefighters had to go into what we call a defensive attack due to the extent of damages from the fire," Loudoun Fire Rescue Public Affairs Officer Mary Maguire said. The defensive strategy was employed to contain the spread of the fire, as the structural integrity of the house had become compromised, preventing firefighters from getting far inside. The fire must be completely under control before an investigation into the cause of the fire can begin. At that point, personnel can sift through debris and try to piece together what started the fire, a process Maguire says can be resolved immediately or take years. Loudoun Fire Rescue Chief W. Keith Brower, Jr. was on the scene and said that, due to the isolated nature of the neighborhood, the departments had to get creative with how to fight the fire. "Units first arrived on the scene to find heavy fires going from the garage area, first floor and second floor," Brower said. "Because in this rural area of the county, with no fire ... |
