HARRISONBURG VA: (Rocktown Now) – HARRISONBURG, Va. — A 12‑year‑old girl is being credited with saving her family early Saturday morning after a fire broke out in the basement of their home on the 900 block of Virginia Avenue.
Harrisonburg Fire Department crews were dispatched at 4:30 a.m. on March 7 for a reported structure fire. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke pouring from the basement windows and door of a single‑family home. Crews quickly located and extinguished a significant fire in the basement.
Five people — two adults and three children — were inside the home at the time. According to officials, the family’s only working smoke alarm alerted the 12‑year‑old, who then woke the rest of the household. All family members, along with several pets, escaped safely.
“This little girl saved her family this morning,” Fire Chief Matthew Tobia said. “Coupled with a functioning smoke alarm, the life safety education programs our Community Risk Reduction team delivers in schools are critical. This incident highlights the indispensable role that our CRR team plays in saving lives.”
The Harrisonburg Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was unintentional and originated in a basement bedroom. Investigators were unable to pinpoint an exact cause due to extensive damage, though two space heaters and a large amount of combustible material were found in the room. Preliminary damage is estimated at $75,000.
A total of 26 firefighters responded to the incident. Harrisonburg Police, Rockingham County Fire Rescue, and the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad assisted at the scene.
