Fire destroys two Fairfax homes, children escape flames

FAIRFAX - A fire engulfed two houses in Fairfax this afternoon, five children escaped from inside one of the homes as flames crept from a backyard deck toward the front door.

'They were trying to get their shoes and I said, ‘We don't have time for that, we have to get out,'” said Weston Koch, one of the children who ran outside to safety. 'We ran through the front door and right when we got out we saw our friends car. They called 911.”

Fairfax fire chief Mike Sankot said the call for help came in shortly after 1 p.m. Friday afternoon. What started as a fire at 300 Ridge Drive quickly turned into a larger scene when strong winds carried sparks to a nearby home still under construction.

The second home was unoccupied at the time of the fire but Larry Chmelicek and his family had planned to move into the home at the end of October.

'Everything to finish the home was in the home, all the wood and trim and flooring, everything but the furniture,” Chmelicek said. 'I feel blessed that people were here to help.”

People like neighbor Rollin Harder who watched the flames grow and ran toward the fire to help.

'I was mowing my backyard and I turned the mower around and saw the porch in flames,” Harder said.

He and several other neighbors ran through the house, some tearing sheets off beds to ensure no one was inside sleeping, while another man saved the family's dog.

'I'm glad we saw it, I'm glad no one got hurt,” Harder said.

Chief Sankot says it's unclear what started the fire, but smoke detectors did go off, which helped ensure everyone made it out of the home safely.