A woman and two children were found dead after a fire tore through a home in Prince William County, Virginia, early Friday, authorities say.
The fire started just before 6 a.m. in a two-story, single-family house in the 15700 block of Piedmont Place in Woodbridge, fire officials said.
Residents who were living in the basement were able to escape unharmed, but Prince William County Battalion Chief Tom Jarman said late Friday morning that three other people from the house were still unaccounted for. Several hours later, fire officials confirmed that the bodies of three people had been found.
The victims were Sameena Begum, who was 49, and her 10-and-12-year-old sons, a relative told News4. The father was working an overnight shift and returned home to see the emergency vehicles on his street.
A neighbor and friend of the residents said she was horrified by the fire.
“It turns out my worst nightmare might have come true,” Isabella Lopez said.
Prince William County Fire and Rescue said a man who lived at the house was not home when the fire broke out.
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A chaplain was at the scene, as was a therapy dog, and the American Red Cross was trying to help those affected.
The home sits at the end of a long street, which was lined with fire trucks and other resources to assist firefighters. At midday, crews were still working to put out the fire.
Chopper4 video shows a large, charred structure with a somewhat intact front, brick exterior. However, the roof and most of the home was destroyed.
Fire officials said the first call about the fire came in at 5:50 a.m. and crews arrived within five minutes. However, much of the damage had already been done. A powerful fire engulfed the home, collapsing the interior structure and leaving the home unstable.
"They initiated an aggressive interior fire attack, and they also conducted operations called vent–enter–search, which is an aggressive interior operation to find any additional victims," Jarman said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Foul play is not suspected. The house did have working smoke detectors.
"This scene is very active, requiring an in-depth investigation to determine the events that lead up to this tragedy," Prince William County Assistant Fire Chief Matt Smolsky said in a news release Friday afternoon.
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The county's fire and police departments are investigating together since the deaths were unattended, and due to the severity of the fire, the ATF will assist, Smolsky said.
