N. Springfield fire displaces two

A fire in the 7300 block of Chatham Street in North Springfield July 14 was caused by an electrical event in a bedroom outlet, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reports.

Two occupants were home when the fire broke out at about 2 p.m. One of them heard two pops and felt the house shake. When she looked out of the bedroom window, she saw flames pushing out of a window in an adjacent bedroom. She called 911 and helped her husband out of the house to the front steps.

A neighbor, who is a captain with the Alexandria Fire Department and was off duty, assisted both occupants to get away from the home before the fire department arrived. Smoke alarms sounded after the fire was discovered.

Units from the cities of Alexandria and Fairfax were dispatched to the two-story, split-level home, as well as crews from Fairfax County.

The fire was confined to a second-floor bedroom with some extension to the hallway and exterior siding. There were no reported civilian or firefighter injuries.

The fire caused damages estimated at $35,000.