2-Alarm Fire Displaces Dozens of Alexandria Apartment Residents

Nearly 70 residents of an apartment complex in Alexandria, Virginia, were displaced during Saturday night's chilly temperatures after a two-alarm fire.

About 60 firefighters responded to 8496 Richmond Highway about 6:10 p.m. and found flames tearing through the roof of a three-story apartment building at Woodlawn Garden Apartments, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said.

Buses were brought to the scene to keep the 67 displaced residents out of the cold. The Red Cross helped those residents find shelter. It's not known at this time how long they will be displaced.

One woman was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation and she is expected to be OK, officials said. No others were injured, according to the fire department.

Fire investigators said Sunday the fire started in the attic space of the builidng and was caused by a natural gas furnace mechanical failure. Heat escaping through a damaged section of the furnace flue ignited combustibles in the attic space.

The building sustained about $227,500 in damages.

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