Family Left to Rebuild After Marlborough Fire

The Millers tried to keep the days after the fire as normal as possible for the kids. The two oldest attended school. Their mother, Beth, who is expecting her fourth child, sat in an SUV in the driveway with her mother on Friday, out of the cold. Temperatures were in the low 40s.

Earl Miller expects it to be up to eight months before he and his family can move back into their home, where they've lived for 30 years.

It only took a few moments for an early Wednesday morning fire to rip through their Marlborough Road house. The call for emergency assistance came from the homeowner at 2:17 a.m. Investigators began looking for clues at the scene shortly thereafter.

"The Fire Marshal investigators were here that night," said homeowner Earl Miller. "They asked me if anybody smoked in the house, if we have a grill or propane. No one smokes, we don't have a grill, and we only have empty propane tanks."

Miller said his wife, Jean, their daughter Beth, and their three grandchildren, ages 4, 7 and 11, were lucky to get out of the house.

"The smoke alarm just beeped a couple of times," he said. "I would have gone back to sleep but my wife got up. She saw flames outside our grandaughter's window. I grabbed my pants and my cell phone and got out of there." Once his family was out of the house, he quickly called 9-1-1. "I know they got here in just a few minutes but it seemed like forever."

The Miller family is staying with another daughter who lives in Burke. Their insurance company is helping them find temporary housing while their home is being rebuilt.

Beth "is a wonderful person, she's the real deal," said her employer, Elliot Rosen, managing partner of BayFirst Solutions in D.C. "We wanted to do anything we could to help out." Her colleagues have made purchases to replace nursery items lost in the fire. The company has also set up a fund for anyone who wants to make a donation. Donations can be made to "The Miller Fund" and mailed to:

The Miller Fund
P.O. Box 5474
Takoma Park, MD  20913

Anyone with information about the fire should contact the Fairfax County Fire Marshal's Office at (703) 246-4386.