Fire damages furniture store in Springfield area

Damaged goods from a furniture store in the Springfield area. [Fairfax County Fire Department]

A fire damaged a furniture store in the 5500 block of General Washington Way in the Springfield area of Mason District, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reports.

The fire was caused by the combustion of accumulated sawdust from a milling machine in the warehouse area of the two-story building. 

By the time crews from the Fairfax County and Alexandria fire departments arrived, at 9 a.m. on Sept. 14, a sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire, but smoke was still visible in the showroom. 

One firefighter sustained a minor injury. Fire investigators estimate damages at $327,000.

No one was in the store when the fire broke out. The chief building engineer, who was working in a second-floor suite discovered the fire when he smelled an electrical odor. He saw smoke through the store window and called 911. The building’s fire alarm altered occupants of other businesses.