An elderly woman was found dead following a fire in an Alexandria apartment building early Sunday, according to city fire officials.
Fire marshals determined the fire started in a bedroom of an apartment and appears to be due to improperly discarded smoking materials. The Alexandria Police Department is also involved in the joint investigation.
Firefighters arrived at the building in the 6000 block of Edsall Road around 5:26 a.m. due to 911 call.
The fire was discovered in a ground-level apartment and quickly extinguished.
The woman’s body was found in the apartment where the fire originated, and the cause of death remains under investigation, pending determination by the Medical Examiner’s Office, according to city fire officials.
“The Alexandria Fire Department would like to remind residents to be extremely cautious when handling smoking materials,” said Acting Fire Chief Corey Smedley.