Three shrubs caught on fire beside George Mason University’s Bill of Rights Eagle in Virginia Square.
The fire broke out on this afternoon (Friday) just before 1 p.m., engulfing the shrubbery and a patch of mulch. The flames were quickly extinguished by responding firefighters, and a college employee said that it wasn’t a major incident. Classes were in session at the time but there was not report of any evacuation.
A facilities worker told ARLnow.com that the flames were three feet high, and that a glass office window adjacent to the fire was cracked as a result.
Another facilities worker, who said that he had worked for the college for the past 20 years, said that the college’s shrubbery had never caught on fire before.
He added that his colleagues had not seen anything odd in the area prior to the fire, but that several people tripped and fell while running away.
Unveiled last May with much fanfare, the GMU Antonin Scalia Law School’s “Bill of Rights Eagle” did not appear to suffer any damage from the fire.
Warm weather has helped spark a number of small mulch and grass fires around Arlington over the past day or so.