House fire in Falls Church kills 2

Personal injury can take many forms, including burns from fires and chemicals. A burn injury is not only extremely painful; it can result in financial losses from medical expenses and lost wages. The following account illustrates how devastating burn injuries in a house fire can be.

Fairfax County firefighters report that two people died in a house fire in Falls Church on Jan. 23. The house was on the 3100 block of Manor Road, and was completely destroyed. Firefighters say they responded to the fire just before 3:30 a.m. to find the house entirely overcome with flames, forcing the responders to fight the fire from outside the residence.

They brought the fire under control within a half hour, and fire department personnel discovered two bodies that were badly burned. A spokesman for the Fairfax County Fire Department stated that it was not possible to even determine the gender of the bodies. Eight cats and two dogs also died in the fire.

The fire department spokesman added that both police and fire personnel are currently investigating the cause of the tragedy. They are currently withholding the names of the deceased until they can notify the next of kin.

The family members of a person who has died in a fire may be due compensation for financial and emotional damages if another party’s reckless or negligent behavior caused the fire. Common legal strategies in these cases involve establishing the effect of a loved one’s death upon other family members and proving that the responsible party acted in a reckless or otherwise negligent manner.

Source: Fairfax Times, “Two people, 10 animals killed in Falls Church house fire,” Jan. 25, 2013