(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) A townhouse in the East Falls Church neighborhood was badly damaged by a fire last night.
The fire broke out in a middle-of-the-row townhouse on the 6500 block of Washington Blvd around 11:30 p.m. on July 4. A large fire department response to the blaze blocked traffic near the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Sycamore Street, one block from the Metro station.
Arriving firefighters reported encountering heavy fire coming from the home’s garage and extending up to the upper floors.
While the bulk of the flames were extinguished relatively quickly, firefighters were kept busy for more than an hour, searching for hotspots and ventilating the structure, according to scanner traffic. Additionally, several cats were rescued from inside the home.
This morning, fire investigators could be seen searching through the charred remains of the garage.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Arlington County Fire Department announced that while four animals were rescued and no humans were injured, one pet was found dead.
(2/2) The fire remains under investigation. Over 50 firefighters operated at the scene of the fire, with assistance provided by @ffxfirerescue. No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.
📸- Andrew Pang pic.twitter.com/pYjhTUQvIO
— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) July 5, 2023
Watch: Lots of smoke from an 11:30 pm townhouse fire on Washington Blvd near Sycamore. @ArlingtonVaFD with @ffxfirerescue appear to have it under control. Arlington traffic-cams via @safetyvid. @ARLnowDOTcom #firefighters #safety pic.twitter.com/Am6RDApsS6
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) July 5, 2023
Early this morning, firefighters also responded to a fire at the Frederick at Courthouse apartment building, at 2230 Fairfax Drive, shortly after 1 a.m.
Initial reports suggest that fireworks disposed of in the trash chute caused a fire that filled a portion of the building with smoke and set off sprinklers, dousing the flames but also causing water damage in numerous apartments.