Crime & Safety
Falls Church Fire Victim Was a Gallaudet Teacher, Coach
First of two women killed in an early morning fire identified as a faculty member at Gallaudet University.
Laura Snyder-Gardner, 48, one of two victims killed in a house fire in Falls Church, had been a full-time faculty at Gallaudet University since January 2009.
Gardner was identified by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue on Thursday.
Kaitlin Luna, a spokeswoman at the university for the hard of hearing in Washington, D.C., said Gardner served as an assistant coach of the girl’s soccer team at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf.
Find out what's happening in Falls Churchwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Before coming to Gallaudet, Gardner taught at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in Saint Augustine, Fla. from 1998 through 2008.
A second woman who was killed in the fire has not been identified by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue.
Find out what's happening in Falls Churchwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Firefighters responded to a home in the 3100 block of Manor Rd. in Falls Church, where the two women were found dead, around 3:20 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators found one victim then the second hours later.
The cause of the fire has not been determined yet.
Neighbor Steve Klass said he heard Gardner screaming for help but the raging fire was too much to attempt a rescue.
The fire remains under investigation.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
