fire

UPDATED: Firefighters battle a blaze near Shirlington

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) Firefighters from Arlington and neighboring jurisdictions battled a house fire near Shirlington.

Fire companies were initially dispatched to the Windgate townhouse development on the 2500 block of S. Arlington Mill Road for a reported electrical fire. The fire turned out to be at the nextdoor Heatherlea condo complex, along 28th Road S.

Flames were visible from the outside of the residence when the first firefighters arrived on scene, according to radio traffic. The fire was mostly contained to the home’s exterior and was extinguished before it could spread further.

Everyone was able to get out of the home and so far no injuries have been reported.

NEW: Video shows man lighting American flag on fire outside Arlington Heights home

By ARLnow.com

A man walked up to an American flag outside of a home in the Arlington Heights neighborhood early Friday morning and lit it on fire.

Arlington County police and fire investigators are now trying to find the suspect, a younger man who was wearing a hooded windbreaker and a backpack at the time. The motive for the crime is unclear.

The incident happened around 3 a.m., in the residential neighborhood several blocks away from Thomas Jefferson Middle School. It’s being investigated as arson.

“The unknown suspect approached an American flag on the victim’s porch and set it on fire,” said an ACPD crime report. “A witness observed the flag on fire and extinguished it. The suspect is described as a White male, 18 – 30 years old, 5’4″ – 5’11” tall and wearing a dark hooded windbreaker, jeans, white sneakers and carrying a backpack. A joint investigation with the Fire Marshal’s Office is ongoing.”

The resident of the home, who did not wish to be named, recounted what happened to ARLnow.

“We awoke to a neighbor banging on our front door and a burning flag, which had spread to the bush in our front yard,” he wrote. “Our neighbor put out the fire with a hose. We then saw the video of the person lighting the flag on fire.”

The video was shared with neighbors on an email listserv.

“No idea,” the resident said, when asked why someone would do this, adding that nothing like this has ever happened before in the area.

Hat tip to Smiley456

JUST IN: Firefighters on Scene of Kitchen Fire at Dama Restaurant

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Update on 9/24/21: We’re told that Dama is back open “with normal operations.”

Earlier: Firefighters are investigating a possible kitchen fire at Dama Pastry and Restaurant on Columbia Pike.

Units arrived on scene at the long-time Ethiopian eatery at 1503 Columbia Pike and found heavy smoke inside, which was billowing out of the building.

Kitchen staff told firefighters that the smoke was caused by a fire on the stove, which they put out using fire extinguishers, according to scanner traffic. No active fire was found by the time firefighters arrived; units are now being put back into service while others work to ventilate remaining smoke from the structure.

Columbia Pike is temporarily blocked between the Sheraton hotel and the Air Force Memorial due to the emergency response.

There’s no word yet on how long Dama might be closed after the fire. Typically, the local health department must approve the reopening after a fire.

JUST IN: House Fire in Boulevard Manor

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) Firefighters from Arlington and surrounding areas battled a house fire today in the Boulevard Manor neighborhood, near Bluemont Park.

Smoke could be seen coming from the top of a home on the 5900 block of 3rd Street N. as first responders arrived on the scene shortly before 12:30 p.m., according to scanner traffic. It took at least 30 minutes to extinguish the bulk of the fire, which reportedly started in the attic.

Initial reports suggest that people inside the house were able to get out safely. No one was injured. Three residents will be displaced by the blaze, according to the Arlington County Fire Department.

Numerous Residents Displaced After Fire at Crystal City Apartment Building

By ARLnow.com
Smoke rising above Crystal City from The Buchanan apartment fire (photo courtesy Will Wiard)

(Updated at 10:35 p.m.) A “large amount” of residents have been displaced after a fire at The Buchanan apartment building in Crystal City.

The fire on the 300 block of 23rd Street S. was reported around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Arlington County Fire Department said crews “found a fire in a 3rd floor apartment with significant smoke conditions.”

Smoke from the blaze could be seen from a distance, rising above Crystal City. Police closed 23rd Street for more than two hours while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames and remove smoke from the building.

One person was injured and taken to the hospital but is expected to be okay, according to ACFD. No firefighters were hurt. There’s no word yet on how the fire started nor for how long residents of the building may be displaced.

More via social media:

https://twitter.com/SoWhat_WhoCares/status/1431039795246112770

Firefighters Douse Flaming Garbage in Front of Gunston Middle School

By ARLnow.com

(Updated 4:25 p.m.) Local firefighters handle all sorts of hazards. Today, one such hazard was a flaming pile of garbage.

The rubish’s rapid oxidation happened around noon today in front of Gunston Middle School, near Arlington Ridge. The blazing bags of refuse were reportedly dumped by a trash truck after the driver noticed smoke and flames coming from the back.

“He dumped his load that was on fire,” a witness tells ARLnow. “He did the right thing. Saved his truck.”

The quick thinking spared the truck and a bigger conflagration, but it left big mess in the Gunston parking lot. Arlington and Alexandria firefighters worked to douse the combusting crud, leaving a soggy heap of waste to be cleaned up.

The trash fire, no doubt seen by a metaphor by some, was caught on camera by Washington Post media reporter Jeremy Barr.

Arlington County police blocked S. Lang Street, in front of the school, during the firefighting effort. A fire department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

Later this afternoon, the county’s Department of Environmental Services shed some light on what likely caused the fire — rechargeable batteries tossed into a recycling bin — and provided some advice on how to properly recycle such batteries.

UPDATED: Grill Causes Big House Fire in Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com
1/9

(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) Firefighters from Arlington, Alexandria and elsewhere battled a house fire in the Lyon Park neighborhood Tuesday night.

The fire was first reported around 8 p.m., near the bike trail at the intersection of N. Edgewood Street and 1st Road N. A tipster tells ARLnow they saw a column of smoke and fire trucks racing down Washington Blvd, en route to the scene.

“Crews arrived on scene locating fire to the rear of the structure,” the Arlington County Fire Department said via social media. “Crews are still actively engaged in fire suppression operations on the interior.”

A support crew from the Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Department was also called to the scene.

After a protracted firefighting effort involving 70 firefighters, the flames were finally reported out at 10:20 p.m. Two firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Arlington County Fire Department.

The cause of the fire was grilling too close to the house, ACFD announced Wednesday morning, reminding residents to keep grills away from the sides of homes. The blaze caused more than $350,000 in damage.

Map via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Structure Fire Near Ballston — “Units located a detached structure on fire behind a house with minor extension to the house. The fire was quickly extinguished with no reports of injuries to firefighters or civilians. The fire remains under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Plane Runs Off DCA Runway — “A Frontier Airlines plane slid off the end of the runway at Reagan National Airport Friday night. Flight 538 from Denver was arriving at the airport at about 10:30 p.m. when the incident happened, Micah Lillard of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said.” [WTOP]

Apparent Drowning in Potomac — “Several agencies said they called off a search for a swimmer in the Potomac River near Fletcher’s Boathouse Sunday. D.C. Fire and EMS called the situation an apparent drowning… Shortly after 3 p.m., a witness reported seeing a person try to swim the river from the Virginia side and not resurface, the fire department said. D.C. Police fire boats and units from the Harbor station, Arlington Fire Department boats and a Maryland State Police helicopter were assisting in the search.” [NBC 4, Twitter]

Arlington Ridge Water Work — From the Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services: “Monday night – Tuesday morning: Water main maintenance work near S Arlington Ridge Road/Long Branch Creek could cause temporary low water pressure or service outages for nearby customers, 8pm to 8am.” [Twitter]

Sheriff Supports New Police Chief — From Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur: “Today, more than ever, police chiefs must commit to the principles of trust, accountability and transparency. I believe Andy [Penn] has demonstrated leadership in each of these areas and I look forward serving the Arlington community alongside him in his new role.” [Arlington County]

Mixed-Use Tower in Ballston for Sale — “The owners of Ballston’s tallest building are exploring its sale. Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) and the Shooshan Co., the developers behind 4040 Wilson Blvd., the final phase of the larger Liberty Center project, have put the $217 million tower on the market. The 23-story, 250-foot-tall building, completed last year, includes 225,000 square feet of office on the lower 10 floors topped by 250 apartments.” [Washington Business Journal]

Beyer Supports Fusion Power Research — “”If we do not pursue fusion energy, others will, and U.S. economic interests and influence will diminish as a result,” writes @RepDonBeyer in @sciam, arguing this energy tech can help the climate emergency and create #trillions of $$$ in economic growth.” [Twitter, Scientific American]

Newspaper Editor Attacked by Cicadas — From Sun Gazette Editor Scott McCaffrey’s blog: “The cicadas largely have left me alone, although two did get on my pants over the weekend and surreptitiously made it into Casa de Scotty… I gently removed those buggies and deposited them back outside so they could continue their search for love in what little time they have left on this earth. But yesterday, taking a midday walk around Falls Church, a more aggressive cicada flew right into the back of my shirt and started wriggling his (or her) way deeper in.” [Sun Gazette]

UPDATED: Large Fire at Shirlington Apartment Building

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) Firefighters from Arlington and surrounding areas battled a large fire at an apartment building this morning.

The fire broke out at The Citizen at Shirlington Village apartment building, on the 3000 block of S. Randolph Street, around 6 a.m.

“[I] was woken up this morning by the small of smoke,” said Lucie Melahn, a Shirlington resident, who described “seeing huge flames.” She said the fire department arrived about five minutes after she was woken up by the smoke.

A tower of flames could be seen coming from the apartment complex’s roof, and the resulting column of smoke could be seen from a distance away.

The Arlington County Fire Department described the blaze as “a large attic fire.” It was brought under control by firefighters by 6:35 a.m. No injuries were reported.

One resident said the fire appears to have started in an air conditioning unit on the third floor of the building.

ACFD says several dozen residents may be displaced as a result of the fire. A heavy fire department and police presence remained on scene as investigators try to determine the cause of the blaze.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington, which is based nearby, said it is caring for the pets of some of the affected residents.

More from social media:

Another Rescue for ACFD: A Prized Bird

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 9:55 p.m.) The Arlington County Fire Department doesn’t just untangle flags from national monuments. It also rescues parakeets that have flown the coop.

Yesterday evening the fire department received a “public service” call for a prized sun parakeet that was stuck in a tree. The bird’s owner was out on a walk with her avian companion when “the bird was spooked by a dog and flew into a tree and did not come down,” ACFD spokesman Taylor Blunt tells ARLnow. She called the fire department after running out of options for getting the bird down.

The crew of Truck 106 responded and used the fire engine’s ladder to gently grab the bird from its perch above a house, bringing it back to its grateful owner.

“As firefighters, we never know what our day will be like!” the fire department said on social media this morning. “Happy to help.”

“This was an interesting run for us,” Blunt added.

The bird rescue happened around the same time as other ACFD crews were battling an apartment fire on the 1300 block of N. Pierce Street in the Radnor/Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, near Rosslyn. No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

Photo courtesy ACFD

JUST IN: ACFD Battling House Fire in Penrose

By ARLnow.com

A large fire department response is on scene of a house fire in Arlington’s Penrose neighborhood.

The blaze broke out shortly after 9 a.m. on the 400 block of S. Barton Street, not far from one of the entrances to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

Initial reports suggest that firefighters arriving on scene found a relatively small but smoky fire in the basement of a home. Firefighters are now working to ensure that the fire has been completely extinguished and everyone made it out of the house okay.

So far no injuries have been reported.

File photo

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