LORTON, Va. — Authorities in Fairfax County say a driver in a stolen car crashed into an electrical box in front of a home in Lorton, causing the house to catch fire early Thursday morning.
A Fairfax County Police Department spokesperson said the crash and fire happened in the 8400 Whitehaven Court just before 5 a.m.
Fairfax County firefighters were called to the home for a report of a house fire around 4:50 a.m. When crews arrived on scene, they found a black BMW SUV had crashed into an electrical box directly in front of the home. The vehicle caught on fire, and caught the home on fire. Flames extended to the attic of the home, according to firefighters.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames. Preliminarily, no injuries have been reported.
A neighbor who lives about a block away said he was awoken by a large crash, and went to see what happened.
"I just woke up because I heard a big boom, something like a blast," Sheikh Akhter said. "I saw a lot of smoke and a lot of fire trucks."
Inside the home, George Davidson and his family ran to find out what happened.
“When we went to look I could see a bright light flashing in downstairs," he said.
Within minutes Davidson said he saw the flames grow and start to reach the house.
“I yelled up to my wife to call 911," he said. "Then we got kids up and we had to go out through the back door.”
Davidson and his family had just moved into the home in August. Now they have to find somewhere else to live and somewhere to stay.
“We’re safe. That’s all that counts," he said. "Anything that’s material that can be replaced, We don’t worry about that as long as we got out."
Akhter said the crash knocked out power to the neighborhood Thursday morning.
"It's a little bit scary," he said.
Another neighbor caught the flames on video as police were arriving on scene.
A police spokesperson said the whole thing started when officers were investigating reports of stolen cars in the area. When they approached one vehicle on foot, the car sped away and crashed.
“Someone stole it from out of my driveway," Kevin Valdez, the SUV's owner, said.
“Any possession that gets stolen from you, that hurts," he said. "It could have been something small like a pair of sneakers. Still hurts, man.”
Fairfax County Police say the driver left the scene. He was tracked down using Fairfax County K9 units and arrested.
Nico Anthony Doublet, 32, was arrested on charges of trespassing, auto theft, and hit-and-run. He was held on no bond.
Sky9 was over the scene of the crash Thursday morning. You can see the large response from emergency crews. Roads in the area were closed for the investigation Thursday morning. They have since reopened.
Fairfax County Police were at the scene interviewing neighbors and gathering surveillance video. Anyone who has video, or additional information is asked to call the Fairfax Co. nonemergency number at 703-644-7377.