Neighbor sounds car horn, police officer pounds on door to alert Woodbridge family to house fire

Due to the quick actions of a neighbor and a police officer, the occupants of a Woodbridge that caught on fire in the wee hours of the morning were safely out of the home when fire and rescue crews arrived at about 4:16 a.m today, April 22, said Prince William Count Fire Marshal Matt Smolsky.

Fire and rescue units were dispatched to the 15500 blk of Merrily Way (22193) for a reported house fire. Crews arrived with heavy fire and smoke showing on the rear side of the single-family home. 

Smolsky said a neighbor attempted to wake the occupants up by using a car horn. Then. arriving shortly afterwards, a Prince William County Police Officer, knocking feverishly on the front door, alerted the occupants. The police officer then assisted the family out of the building.

The structure sustained moderate damage. No injuries were reported. The Building Official determined the home to be unsafe to occupy, displacing two adults and one child. The Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire started outside the home and spread into the structure. The fire was ignited by improper discarded smoking materials, Smolsky said.