Fire investigators will have to determine if a candle is to blame for a fire that raged through a Woodbridge home Saturday.
Firefighters were called to 14118 Randall Road, just off East Longview Drive, after 5 p.m. when several 911 callers said they saw flames shooting from the two-story home.
"All we could see were flames and all we could hear was the sound of windows breaking," said Dum-fries resident Rodney Osbourne, who was visiting his parents across the street.
Rescue crews were greeted with heavy smoke and fire when they entered the house.
"We tried to keep the fire contained to the front of the house where most of the damage is," said OWL Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Covey.
It took firefighters a little over five minutes to extinguish the fire, said Covey.
No one was home and no firefighters were injured in the blaze.
One person who lives in the house, 23-year-old William Batereas, said he left for about a half-hour, and when he came back his home was on fire.
He said he had didn't plan to be away for long and left a scented candle burning.
Batereas, who lives in the house with his mother, said they have also had electrical problems at the house.
A electrical utility cable, which also caught fire, exploded in the front yard of the house.
"I don't know where we are gong to sleep tonight … I haven't even talked to my mom, because she doesn't pick up her phone," said Batereas.
Firefighters battling the blaze twice had to evacuate the house while the flames were raging.
"We first had some issues with water and then we had some communication issues that forced us to pull back," said Covey.
Francis Broomall was one of the neighbors who called 911 and said he saw firefighters struggling to get water from a nearby hydrant.
"They fought with that damn thing because there was so much low pressure on it. I don't know if someone has been messing with it or not," said Broomall.
Fire investigators have been called in to determine the cause of the blaze. Batereas said he and his mother have lived in the house for about a year.
The home is valued at $63,000, according to county records.
Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.
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