When Gregory Swedo heard sirens in his neighborhood on the morning of Jan. 2, he decided to investigate.
"I walked down the street to my neighbor's house and fire and rescue had already responded," said Swedo.
The house, which is owned by Dr. Edward Lefrak, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Inova Fairfax Hospital, was in the midst of a blazing fire, the cause of which is still unknown. Located on Brook Valley Lane in McLean, the fire brought more than 100 firefighters to the scene. According to a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue public notice posted on the Neighbors International, LLC e-mail network, it is expected that none of the house will be saved. Lefrak, his wife and daughter are all safe, and one fireman was hospitalized for burns to his hands.
"There seems to be some extensive damage to the rear of the house," said Swedo, who added that the residence was "an unusual house" that had been the recipient of architectural design awards.
Swedo also witnessed a firetruck run into a ditch as it attempted to avoid another firetruck at the scene.