Firefighters are blaming construction materials used in newer houses for the speed with which fires are racing through the buildings — and giving them less time to battle the flames and escape injury.

Six firefighters were injured Sunday afternoon battling a fire in a Leesburg home in which lightweight construction materials — including vinyl siding, plywood and lightweight wood supports — were used.

The materials are being examined as a cause for the speed of the fire as the Loudoun County fire and rescue Department starts an extensive investigation into what happened.

Top national researchers led by Underwriters Laboratories in Chicago are studying the issue with a $1 million federal grant. The study, now in its final stages, is designed to evaluate the stability of lumber used as well as the methods firefighters use to kill the flames. The National Institutes for Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland also are studying the issue.

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“Lightweight construction saves money, it saves time, but there is a consequence,” said Adolf Zubia, the chief of the Las Cruces Fire Department in New Mexico and chairman of the life safety section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. “Significant injuries and deaths have occurred dealing with buildings that have collapses.”

Cigarettes outside the Loudoun County house set off the blaze. Firefighters searching the house, surprised by how fast the flames overwhelmed the attic and roof, were injured as they tried to escape, said Chief Fire Marshal Keith Brower, who pointed to the lightweight construction as a key component in the spread of the fire.

“We get a fire, it makes its way to the attic and then we get the huge collapse,” Brower said. “We've had two or three of these prior to the incident. They get in, they have two minutes of firefighting and we're pulling them out.”

Montgomery County fire officials described a recent Potomac blaze in which discarded cigarettes started a fire that overtook a home in minutes.

“It comes down to the fact that less mass means it's going to burn easier,” Division Chief Michael Love said. “It's just awesome to see how quickly a structure can be consumed when it is made of these lightweight materials.”

An exhaustive report following the death of Prince William County firefighter Kyle Wilson last year highlighted lightweight construction as a reason the fire intensified so rapidly and was blamed as a factor in the death.

“From a fire safety perspective, we know that lightweight construction is going to fail quicker that the traditional materials,” said Melvin Byrne, division chief of the Virginia Department of Fire Programs and a Loudoun County volunteer firefighter.

However, because of the cost of materials, especially the skyrocketing price for lumber, lightweight materials are essential, he said. “Without lightweight construction, none of us would be able to afford a house.”

But not everyone is sold that it is a key problem, including the federal government.

“We can't say this is a problem without more research,” said Ken Farmer, the U.S. Fire Administration's branch chief of leadership and prevention.

Lightweight construction can be safe if prevention measures are taken in the construction, said Frederick Mowrer, a fire safety professor at the University of Maryland. Methods like coating the structure in Sheetrock can significantly reduce the speed of collapse.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com