A huge fire last night destroyed a $3.4million Virginia mansion owned by former Governor Chuck Robb.
Dramatic pictures show firefighters tackling the blaze as it engulfed the property in the exclusive 600 block of Chain Bridge Road in McLean.
Nearby residents reported seeing huge flames and billowing smoke rising over the Potomac River, which the mansion overlooks.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue were called to the scene of the two-alarm fire at 11.30pm.
Reports from arriving emergency workers suggest the fire was first seen spreading throughout the first floor of the home, but quickly ripped through the upper floors and the roof.
Two occupants escaped the home and were taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials confirmed in the early hours.
It is not known if the individuals were Robb, 82, and his wife Lynda, 77, the daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson.
A huge fire last night destroyed a $3.4million Virginia mansion owned by the state’s former Governor Chuck Robb
Dramatic pictures show firefighters tackling the blaze as it engulfed the property in the exclusive 600 block of Chain Bridge Road in McLean. Two people escaped the home and were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
Dramatic pictures show firefighters tackling the blaze as it engulfed the property in the exclusive 600 block of Chain Bridge Road in McLean which overlooks the Potomac River
The property, which is valued at $3.4 million, is owned by former Virginia governor and senator Chuck Robb and wife Lynda, the daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson (pictured together at the US Capitol in February)
Fairfax Fire officials announced the fire was under control following the three-hour battle. The service did not report any injuries to firefighters.
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the blaze.
A statement from the fire department last night read: ‘Units currently on scene of two alarm house fire in 600 block of Chain Bridge Road in McLean. 1st arriving units reported fire throughout 1st floor of a large home.
‘Two persons transported to hospital w/non-life-threatening injuries. @ArlingtonVaFD and @mcfrs assisting.’
The 82-year-old politician has owned the property, which is valued at $3.4 million, since 1973, according to InsideNova.
Robb served as Virginia’s governor from 1982 to 1986 and as a US senator for the state from 1989 to 2001.
Earlier this year, Robb published a memoir, In The Arena, noting his rise from anonymous Marine to the height of Democrat politics in the 1980s.
It was in December 1967 that he came into the national spotlight with his nationally broadcast White House wedding to Lynda Bird Johnson, the daughter of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The 82-year-old politician has owned the property, which is valued at $3.4 million, since 1973, according to InsideNova
Reports from arriving emergency workers suggest the fire was first seen spreading throughout the first floor of the home, but quickly ripped through the upper floors and the roof
Fairfax Fire officials announced the fire was under control following the three-hour battle. Video from the scene appears to show much of the house in ruins following the blaze
Earlier this year, Robb published a memoir, In The Arena, noting his rise from anonymous Marine to the height of Democrat politics in the 1980s. It was in December 1967 that he came into the national spotlight with his nationally broadcast White House wedding to Lynda Bird Johnson, the daughter of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson (pictured together in front of Luci Baines Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson)
Robb then took on a two-term stint in the US Senate in 1989 but was defeated in a close race against George Allen, another former governor. Pictured: Robb and Lynda after he lost his Senate seat in 2000
Robb has three children with wife Lynda, whom he met while working as a social aide at the White House while her father was President. Pictured: Robb with his daughter Lucinda at an event for the National Archives Foundation in November
The couple had met while Robb was working at the White House as a social aide, a role for Armed Forces officers assigned to attend to the personal needs of visiting dignitaries.
He was deployed to serve in Vietnam shortly afterwards to command India Company of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Regiment, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.
Robb became active in Democratic politics in the mid-1970s, working his way up through local politics and even holding a seat on the Fairfax County Democratic Committee.
In 1977 Robb won election to Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and in 1981 to the Governorship.
Representing the conservative state of Virginia, Robb appealed to disenfranchised Republicans and by remaining reserved in his campaigns.
However he also stood up for a woman’s right to choose, the Equal Rights Amendment, gay rights, and even gun control. He also raised the education budget by over $1 billion and appointed a record number of women and minorities to state positions.
Robb then took on a two-term stint in the US Senate but was defeated in a close race against George Allen, another former governor.