New Alexandria resident Shannon Burns, 15, woke up coughing Thursday morning in her smoke-filled bedroom and screamed to alert her family. Without putting on her shoes, she ran out of the house with her dog Snowball, and called 911 on her cell phone.

Fairfax County firefighters responded to the one-alarm call in the 1200 block of Olde Towne Road at around 8 a.m. No one was injured in the blaze. 

"I woke up and I screamed for my little brother and my mom, even though they weren't here. I had to make sure no one else was in the house," Shannon told Patch from the scene. "That was when I heard my older brother Conor shouting at me." 

Shannon Burns, her 16-year-old brother Conor and a friend were out of the house when firefighters arrived. Shannon's mom was at work. 

"The first units on the scene found smoke coming from the second floor and the attic area. It was a moderate-sized fire and it took 10 minutes to contain," said Incident Commander Capt. Anthony Jackson with the Fairfax County Fire Department.  

Dad Chris Burns arrived at the scene minutes after being called. "I'm not complaining at all," he said. "It's only property. It can get fixed." 

Shannon Burns' room was destroyed, and she will have to buy a new wardrobe, she said. "That's ok, I guess, but I'm really bummed because I just got back from a trip in Michigan and I haven't unpacked all my good clothes, and they were all around the room."

Investigators are determining the cause of the fire.