Improperly discarded ashes sparked a smoky fire that tore through a Fairfax County home early Sunday, fire officials announced.

Fairfax Fire and Rescue units were called around 8 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12, to the 5800 block of Queens Gate Court in the Alexandria section of the county, where they found heavy smoke and flames coming from an attached garage.

Crews quickly moved in to knock down the fire and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the single-family home.

No one was home at the time, and there were no injuries reported, according to the department.

Investigators said the fire began in a plastic trash can placed outside the garage wall. The cause was determined to be improperly discarded ashes, according to the Office of the Fire Marshal.

A neighbor first spotted the blaze a

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