The afternoon of March 10, firefighters from both the Fairfax County and Prince William fire and rescue departments battled a building fire in the 14600 block of Lee Highway in Centreville. And investigators have now determined that the blaze was accidental.

First-arriving units discovered a two-story, commercial building with smoke showing from the roof in front. Crews at the back of the structure reported fire evident from a second-floor window, and a second alarm was struck. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames on the second floor and were able to confine the fire to one unit. 

Four people were in the unit at the time of the fire but escaped unharmed. Fire officials say the unit was not equipped with smoke alarms or a fire sprinkler system. An employee who saw the smoke and flames called 9-1-1.  

Fire investigators determined that the fire started in the back of the second-floor unit. They say it was caused by a mechanical failure within the motor of an air compressor. No one was displaced because of the incident, but damages were estimated at approximately $200,000.