Sleeping family alerted to fire in their Manassas home

Fire and rescue units from Manassas, Manassas Park, and Prince William County responded to a report of smoke coming from the roof of a townhouse in the 9300 block of Taney Road in the Georgetown South community, on Saturday Nov. 12, 2011 at approximately 3:20 a.m.. according to Francis J. Teevan, Manassas city fire marshal.

A husband and wife and their three small children, all under six years of age, were unaware that a fire was burning on the second floor and in the attic of their townhouse until firefighters came through the front door, the fire marshal said.

Firefighters evacuated the family to safety and worked to extinguish the fire that was now burning through the roof and spreading to the roof of an adjacent townhouse

According to Teevan, first arriving units found heavy smoke coming from the roof of a townhouse and smoke coming out of the attic vent on an adjacent end unit.

Ffirefighters entered the townhouse and found a family of five on the first floor.  The family had moved their furniture to the first floor and had been sleeping there while work, including the installation of new carpet, was being completed in the second floor bedrooms.

There were no working smoke detectors in the home.

Three townhouses sustained damage because of the fire.  One of them has extensive damage to the roof and interior living areas.  The two other townhouses received less damage.  The resident of the end unit will also relocate until repairs are made to the roof.  The third townhouse was vacant.

Fire Marshals believe that a faulty exhaust fan in the second floor bathroom that was left running caused the fire.

The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents, the fire marshal said.