fire department

ACFD Tackles Chimney Fire in Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com
1/7

Billowing black smoke coming from a home’s chimney and roof prompted an Arlington County Fire Department response this morning.

The chimney fire was first reported shortly after 9:30 a.m., at a home at the intersection of N. Fillmore Street and 2nd Street N.

At least two people were inside the house at the time, a fire department spokeswoman confirmed. Both escaped from the smoky structure unharmed.

Firefighters used chainsaws to get access to the chimney and extinguish the fire before it could spread. Some water damage from the firefighting effort was reported in the home.

Two blocks of N. Fillmore Street were closed as a result of fire apparatus on the scene.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Sunlight in Bluemont Park (Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick)

Fire Station Open Houses — Arlington County’s ten fire stations will be hosting open houses on Saturday as part of Fire Prevention Week. The open houses will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will allow attendees of all ages to tour the stations, climb in the trucks, talk to firefighters and learn about fire safety. [Arlington County]

Sun Gazette Endorses Garvey — Incumbent Democratic Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey has won the endorsement of the Sun Gazette over independent challenger Audrey Clement. Garvey “is the only candidate on the ballot who has both a track record on the issues and in building coalitions to serve the public,” the newspaper says. [InsideNova]

Arlington Ranked No. 25 Bicycling City — Arlington County is the 25th-ranked “city” for bicycling in the country, according to Bicycling Magazine. Arlington offers robust bicycling infrastructure and does a good job of encouraging residents to get out of their cars and try biking to work instead, but it “consistent enforcement” of traffic laws to protect cyclists “remains an issue.” [Bicycling]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Lyon Park Community Center (Flickr pool photo by Alan Kotok)

Balcony Fire in Arlington View — Arlington County firefighters battled a small fire on an apartment balcony in the Arlington View neighborhood yesterday afternoon, following reports of an “explosion” sound. The fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported. [Twitter]

Carpool’s New Owner Trying to Sell — The fate of Carpool is once again uncertain. The Ballston-area bar was supposed to close later this fall to make way for a new high-rise residential development. Despite County Board approval of the project, and the just-completed sale of the bar, developer Penzance is now reportedly trying to sell the site. [Washington Business Journal]

Student Population Growth Lower Than Estimate — The student population at Arlington Public Schools grew 3.6 percent from last school year to the beginning of this school year. That’s an increase of 914 students, the equivalent of a new middle school, but it is 262 students below APS projections. [InsideNova]

Pedestrian-Only Streets on County Board Agenda — The Arlington County Board on Saturday is slated to consider allowing pedestrian-only streets in Arlington. Currently such streets are not part of the county’s Master Transportation Plan. Pedestrian-only streets are being discussed for parts of Rosslyn and Courthouse. [Arlington County]

White Squirrel Hit By Car? — A commenter says an albino squirrel that was often seen in neighborhoods near Columbia Pike has been hit by a car and killed. [ARLnow]

Flickr pool photo by Alan Kotok

Two Hurt in Crashes on GW Parkway

By ARLnow.com

Police car lights(Updated at 11 p.m.) One person is fighting for their life and another suffered significant injuries in a series of two crashes on the George Washington Parkway this morning.

The crash, involving an overturned vehicle, was reported shortly after 11 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the Parkway, near Spout Run. The northbound lanes were closed for about an hour and a half as medics treated the injured and as crews worked to clean up a large amount of debris from the roadway.

Around the same time as the first crash, a second, apparently unrelated crash involving an overturned vehicle was reported on the GW Parkway near Key Bridge.

Two people were transported via ambulance to the hospital, one with critical injuries. Initially the U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter was requested to medevac that person, but was later called off.

As of 12:40 p.m., one northbound lane had reopened, according to WTOP.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Statue at Marymount University (photo courtesy Noah Kaufman)

Next SafeTrack Surge Begins Tomorrow — Metro’s ninth SafeTrack maintenance “surge” will begin tomorrow and will result in single-tracking between the Vienna and West Falls Church station on the Orange Line through Oct. 26. Riders should expect longer wait times on the Orange Line; in Arlington, the East Falls Church station is expected to experience the worst delays. [DCist, NBC Washington]

Fire Dept. to Donate to AWLA — Arlington County fire stations collected more than 650 pounds of pet supplies and food during ‘Operation FirePaws.’ The items will be donated to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. [Arlington County]

Additions for Phoenix House — Following a successful capital fundraising campaign, substance abuse rehabilitation facility Phoenix House, in Ballston, will be adding a new fitness and health center and expanding and renovating its adolescent boys program.

A History of the Balls — ‘Our Man in Arlington’ columnist recounts the history of the Ball family, local landowners since the Revolutionary War and the namesakes for Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood. [Falls Church News-Press]

Photo courtesy Noah Kaufman

ACFD Battling Car Fire in Rosslyn Office Garage

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County fire truck(Updated at 10:45 a.m.) Arlington County firefighters are battling a fully-engulfed car fire in a Rosslyn office building’s parking garage.

The blaze was reported just after 10:15 a.m. on the B1 level of the Waterview building garage, at 1919 N. Lynn Street. The building is home to companies like CEB and Deloitte.

As of 10:35 a.m., firefighters on the scene reported that they had the fire under control. Sprinklers in the garage helped to keep it contained, according to scanner traffic.

Two people are being evaluated for possible injuries.

Firefighters are currently checking to make sure the fire didn’t spread to other levels. They’re also assessing smoke conditions in the garage.

Between the fire and lane closures due to construction, drivers should expect significant traffic delays on Lynn Street in Rosslyn.

ACFD Battles House Fire in N. Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 10:20 p.m.) A fire broke out in the basement of a house in Arlington’s Williamsburg neighborhood tonight.

Firefighters were dispatched to the home, on the 6200 block of 30th Street N., shortly before 9 p.m. Fire was reported in the basement, with extension to the first floor of the house.

The fire was brought under control within about 15 minutes. There were no reports of injuries but extensive damage, including a collapsed floor, was reported.

Photos courtesy Andrew Pang, @LincolnACFD

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Deer on 41st Street N. (Flickr pool photo by Alan Kotok)

Crash Closes 395 Ramp — A multi-vehicle crash closed the ramp from northbound I-395 to northbound Washington Blvd during this morning’s rush hour. The ramp reopened just after 9 a.m. [Arlington County, Twitter]

Metro Delays This Morning — There were delays on the Yellow, Orange and Silver lines this morning due to “unscheduled track repairs.” [Washington Post]

Jefferson Davis Highway Name Change? — The Virginia attorney general’s office has determined that Alexandria can legally change the name of Jefferson Davis Highway in the city, while Arlington cannot remove the Confederate leader’s name from Route 1. One local lawmaker says he wants the name to change, for various reasons, but adds that he doesn’t have a problem with routes named after Robert E. Lee. [InsideNova, InsideNova]

ACFD Fights Two Two-Alarm Blazes — Arlington County firefighters helped to battle a pair of two-alarm blazes in Fairfax County and Alexandria on Monday. [Twitter, Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Alan Kotok

Gas Leak Shuts Down Randolph Street in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

N. Randolph Street is shut down between Glebe and Wilson due to a gas leakUpdate at 10:20 a.m. — The leak has reportedly been stopped and the road is being reopened.

A busy street in Ballston has been closed due to a strong odor of natural gas coming from a manhole.

N. Randolph Street is closed between N. Glebe Road and Wilson Blvd, near the Ballston Common Mall demolition site. Several businesses on the Glebe Road side of Randolph have been evacuated.

Washington Gas crews are en route to try to stop the leak.

UPDATED: Firefighters Investigating Smoke in Ballston Macy’s

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County fire truckUpdate at 4:50 p.m. — One lane of northbound Glebe Road has been reopened, but major backups on Glebe are being reported.

Update at 4:30 p.m. — Firefighters say they’ve located the likely source of the smoke, in a mechanical room. No fire was found. Units are starting to clear from the scene.

Arlington County firefighters have shut down Glebe Road at Wilson Blvd as they investigate why the second floor of the Ballston Common Mall Macy’s store has filled with smoke.

Numerous fire department units are responding to the scene, but so far the source of the smoke has not been found. No flames have been seen and firefighters are checking the building’s HVAC system.

Drivers should expect traffic impacts in the area.

Bearded Woman Questioned in Toilet Seat Cover Arson

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County fire truckThe Arlington County Fire Marshal’s office is trying to determine who set a toilet seat cover dispenser on fire on Columbia Pike Monday afternoon.

Investigators believe the small fire, inside a bathroom at the Inova Urgent Care clinic (3263 Columbia Pike) was an act of arson. And it may be part of a string of intentionally-set small fires.

Arlington County firefighters responded to several suspicious small fires Sunday and Monday, including two set 20 minutes apart.

“There have been an uptick in small fires in the county,” said Lt. Jason Hart. “We have not tied them together yet, it’s still under investigation.”

After Monday’s bathroom fire, Arlington police put out a lookout call for a woman with a facial hair, who was suspected of setting the fire. Based on the description relayed over the radio, the woman was detained and questioned, but was ultimately released due to lack of evidence, Hart said.

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