Fire That Killed Falls Church Mother and Daughter Ruled Accidental

Investigators say a wall-mounted natural gas heater caused a fire in the living room of a home where a hearing-impared mother and daughter died in January, according to new information from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. 

Firefighters were called to the single family home in the 3100 block of Manor Rd. around 3:20 a.m. on Jan. 23. In January, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue spokesman Capt. William Moreland said the home was fully engulfed when they arrived.

Laura Snyder-Gardner was a faculty member at Gallaudet University and her daughter, Mary Ann, was a junior student at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf.

A memorial was held for the mother and daughter at Gallaudet and a scholarship was set up in their names.

According to release, investigators could not determine if there were any smoke alarms because of the fire damage.