fire department

Firefighter Hospitalized After Electrical Fire in Alexandria

By ARLnow.com

A firefighter from the Reagan National-based Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire and Rescue squad was taken to the hospital after he suffered minor injuries battling an electrical fire in Alexandria.

Firefighters from Arlington and workers from Dominion Power also responded to the small blaze on Herbert Street in the Mt. Vernon section of Alexandria. It was sparked when a piece of aluminum siding came off the roof of a townhouse and struck a power line. Witnesses say the loose siding caused a loud electrical “explosion,” which may have started a fire in the attic.

The injured firefighter is expected to be treated and released from the hospital tonight, according to airport spokesperson Courtney Mickalonis.

DC EMS Using Arlington Radio Frequencies

By ARLnow.com

The District’s emergency communications system went down Monday night, prompting Arlington to allow D.C. radio traffic on some of the county’s channels.

ARLnow.com heard D.C. paramedics being dispatched on a fire department administrative channel. Among the calls broadcast on Arlington frequencies was a report of a stabbing in northeast Washington.

The cross-jurisdiction transmissions have since stopped.

More from the Washington Post.

Metro Conducting Train Explosion Drill This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Expect to see lots of police officers, firefighters and emergency vehicles if you use the Rosslyn Metro station Saturday night. Don’t worry, though, it’s only a drill.

Originally scheduled for Feb. 13 but postponed due to snow, the drill will simulate an explosion on a Metrorail train in the tunnel between the Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom stations. Arlington police and firefighters — along with emergency personnel from Metro and other jurisdictions — will test out new Mobile Emergency Response Vehicles (left), the first motorized rescue carts used by a U.S. transit organization.

The exercise will begin at 1:00 a.m. Sunday, but first responders and volunteer “victims” should arrive at the Rosslyn station around 11:00 p.m. Saturday. The exercise is expected to run until 5:00 a.m.

The Rosslyn station will remain open until the normal closing time, but after 11:00 p.m. Blue Line trains will share one track between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery and Orange Line trains will share one track between Foggy Bottom and Courthouse.

Carbon Monoxide Leak Sends Four to Hospital

By ARLnow.com

Four people were sent to the hospital after a carbon monoxide leak at a small shopping center on the 700 block of 23rd Street South in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood.

Nobody was believed to be seriously ill, according to WUSA9. An earlier version of this story cited NBC4, which reported that three people were seriously sickened.

The leak was first reported by customers who began feeling sick in the California Nails salon.

The Aurora Hills Cleaners, Arlington Realty and Pure Media Signs stores were also affected by the leak. There is a preschool located in the same shopping center, but no one there became sick, we’re told.

Firefighters and Washington Gas crews spent hours trying to track the source of the leak, although it’s not clear whether the source was located. At least two of the stores will remain closed tomorrow morning.

The leak prompted a large fire department response to the relatively quiet stretch of 23rd Street, near Crystal City. In addition to Arlington County units, at least three hazmat trucks from the Alexandria fire department were on scene.

Apartment Fire On Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Firefighters responded to a fire at an apartment complex on Columbia Pike this morning. The blaze was quickly extinguished, but not before causing some damage.

The fire broke out at one of seven buildings in the Archstone Columbia Crossing apartment community on the 1900 block of Columbia Pike. So far, no word on a cause.

Firefighters Investigating Hazmat Situation

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington Fire Department is on the scene of a hazmat situation at N. Stuart St. & 9th St. N., near the Ballston Metro. Initial reports suggest a truck is leaking fuel into a storm drain.

Update at 3:00 p.m. — An ambulance was called for a man who was complaining of chest pains, apparently caused by the fumes. The hazmat situation itself appears to be under control.

Emergency Exercise, Metro Closure Planned for Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

A large-scale emergency exercise will take place at the Rosslyn Metro on Saturday, Feb. 13. About 150 Arlington police and fire personnel, along with 50 volunteer victims, will participate in a simulated terrorist bombing of a Metrorail train in the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.

Firefighters will use their recently-acquired Mobile Emergency Response Vehicles (MERVs) to travel through the tunnels. MERVs, which were used during the 2005 bombing of the London Underground, can reduce the time it takes first-responders to reach underground victims from 45 minutes to 4 minutes.

The exercise will take place between 9 AM and noon. The $1.2 million in funding for it came from a federal Homeland Security grant.

Rosslyn residents should take note that the Rosslyn and the Arlington Cemetery Metro stations will be closed throughout President’s Day weekend for a major track rehabilitation project. The closure will begin on Friday, Feb. 12 at 10 PM. The stations will reopen Tuesday morning.