A fire destroyed a house in the 13200 block of Sapphire Ridge Place in Bristow Saturday afternoon.
Fire and rescue units from stations 25 (Nokesville/ Linton Hall Road), 4 (Gainesville), 5 (Nokesville), 11 (Stonewall Jackson), and 24 (Dominion Valley) were dispatched in response to a heavy structure fire in a single-family home at 3:51 p.m., Saturday, according to Prince William County Fire & Rescue Capt. Tom Pearson.
"It took approximately 30 minutes to control the fire and another 30 minutes to extinguish it," Pearson said.
While no injuries were reported, the Red Cross assisted three adults and three children who were displaced.
Neighbor Anne Oyhenart, 16, who arrived shortly after 4 p.m. when the blaze was already out of control, watched the events unfold and took photographs.
Oyhenart said there were 30 or more fire fighters and rescue personnel along with five to seven fire trucks from the area at the scene.
EMT technicians treated three children between the ages of 3-7. Neither the children nor the adults appeared injured.
"I saw the kids getting in the ambulance. They looked fine. They were really small, so they didn't know what was going on," Oyhenart said.
By 6 p.m., Oyhenart described the home as being surrounded by “plumes of smoke.”
After the fire was extinguished, the remainder of the home continued to smolder for hours.
“(It was) nothing but a shell,” she said.
According to Pearson, damage to the house is estimated at $350,000.
Neighboring houses also sustained some damage to their exteriors, even though fire crews had hosed down those adjacent homes as they fought the blaze.
"After confirming all occupants were out of the single-family dwelling, fire and rescue personnel initially concentrated their efforts on the adjacent exposures to ensure the fire did not spread to other houses," Pearson said.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office, and a representative from the Building Official’s office has declared the structure unsafe.
"The preliminary on-scene assessment was completed," he said. "It may take several days and possibly weeks before a definitive cause will be released."
Prince William County Police also assisted with scene management.
“It was kind of humbling. It kind of shook me, and I was counting my blessings after it,” Oyhenart said.
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