UPDATE: The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office released a statement Nov. 16 indicating that the Wednesday fire at the Department of Community Correction was caused by arson.

Chief Fire Marshal Linda Hale told the Times-Mirror that an irregular burn pattern had been noted in the original assessment of the scene and that the accelerant detection dog had been brought in to review the scene.

“She identified several areas,” noted Hale, who went on to say that accelerants are believed to have been used both outside the facility and within a first floor office.

When asked, she noted that this does not necessarily mean that the arsonist gained access to the facility. Hale also said that the entrances to the building showed no signs of forced entry.

The Fire Marshal’s Office believes the fire began in that first floor office before extending through the HVAC ducts between the first and second floors. Damage was limited by firefighters who were able to control the blaze before it had a strong foothold.

According to Hale, the Community Corrections records were not damaged in the fire and that the file room was untouched by the fire.

Anyone with information on who might have deliberately set this fire are asked to call the Leesburg Crime Line at 703-443-8477 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). While the 911 call reporting the blaze was received at 6:15 a.m., Hale said the fire was likely started between 5:30 and 6:15 a.m. In addition to witnesses to the arson, Hale also indicated that her department is looking for any reports of unusual vehicles in the area that morning or other early mornings.

Original report below:

An early morning fire Wednesday at the Loudoun County Community Correction Office displaced several employees and caused the county’s government center parking garage to temporarily shut down.

The 6:15 a.m. fire at 107 Loudoun St. in downtown Leesburg was quickly put out by crews from Leesburg, Hamilton, Lansdowne, Lucketts and Ashburn.
No injuries were reported.

The county parking garage reopened at 8 a.m.

Employees of the county’s Community Correction Office were moved to the government center at 1 Harrison St. to continue work, according to Loudoun Fire and Rescue.

Relocation arrangements are being made and will be communicated to the public as they are made available.

The loudoun County Fire Marshals’ Office is conducting an investigation into the incident.

Questions regarding the relocation or services of the Loudoun County Community Correction Office should be directed to the County’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications at 703-777-0113.