house fire

Fundraiser underway for family of man who died in Chain Bridge Forest fire

By ARLnow.com
1/6

An online fundraiser is underway for the family of a man who lost his life in a house fire in the Chain Bridge Forest neighborhood.

The fire broke out Monday morning at a home on the 4000 block of Ridgeview Circle in McLean, near the Arlington border. While battling the blaze, firefighters found a man deceased in a second floor bedroom.

The victim has since been identified as Dan Easley, a father of three who was in his 40s.

A GoFundMe campaign for his family was launched Tuesday and has already raised more than $10,000. More, below, from the campaign’s description.

On Monday, December 11th, a fire destroyed a family’s home in our McLean community and a devoted young father to three elementary and middle school aged children lost his life.

As we mourn the tragic loss of Dan Easley, we want to stand together as a neighborhood & regional community to support Dan’s three amazing children – Owen, Harper and Nathan.

Please consider making a donation to support their Mom Emily as she navigates this new chapter for them and so they don’t have to worry about the near-term and beyond. Let’s stand together as a community and offer the Easley’s our support and comfort as the children mourn the loss of their Dad and his house with most of their childhood belongings. Your thoughtfulness, kindness and generosity mean so much.

The cause of the fire, which is being investigated by Fairfax County’s police and fire departments, has yet to be revealed.

NOW: Large response to fatal house fire near Arlington border in McLean

By ARLnow.com
1/8

A large fire department and police response is on scene at a fatal house fire in McLean, near the Arlington border.

The fire was reported around 9:15 a.m. on the 4000 block of Ridgeview Circle, in the Chain Bridge Forest neighborhood just south of the GW Parkway.

First arriving firefighters reported a column of smoke rising in the air and requested a second alarm, which included numerous fire department units from Arlington.

Firefighting operations were still in progress an hour after the initial dispatch, with white smoke rising from the garage, though the bulk of the fire was knocked down within 30 minutes. Much of the interior of the two-story home appears scorched, despite the front of the main roof remaining intact.

An SUV could be seen parked in the driveway of the home. Fairfax County police confirmed just before 10:30 a.m. that a man was found dead in a bedroom and an investigation is now underway.

NOW: ACFD battling house fire in Arlington Forest

By ARLnow.com
1/16

Firefighters from Arlington and surrounding jurisdictions are on scene of a house fire in the Arlington Forest neighborhood.

The blaze broke out shortly before noon, reportedly in the front porch area of a home at the corner of Route 50 and S. Park Drive.

It was quickly brought under control and no people were inside when firefighters arrived, but according to scanner traffic a dog was removed from the home by firefighters. The dog’s condition could not immediately be learned.

Firefighters are currently looking for any remaining hotspots.

BREAKING: Widespread power outages, trees down and other damage in wake of storms

By ARLnow.com
1/39

Update at 11:20 a.m. on 7/31/23 — The number of outages in Arlington is down to 3,154. The GW Parkway remains closed.

Update at 9 a.m. on 7/30/23 — More than 20,000 Dominion customers are still without power as of Sunday morning.

(Updated at 8:30 p.m.) Tens of thousands are without power in Arlington after severe storms ripped through the county Saturday evening.

As of 6 p.m. Dominion was reporting 34,068 customers without power in Arlington alone and more than 83,000 across Northern Virginia. The outages were still above 28,000 as of 8 p.m., suggesting many may remain in the dark overnight.

The peak outage figure from today’s storm is about half that of the 2012 derecho.

The storm damage is widespread and includes numerous trees and power lines down across the county. Significant damage was reported along the Orange Line corridor — Virginia Square, Clarendon to Courthouse, and Rosslyn — including fencing blown over, street lights topped, trees and branches down, and construction debris scattered.

The intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Highland Street in Clarendon was being completely blocked as of 8 p.m. due to window panes that blew out of a building during the storm. A photo sent to ARLnow showed a shattered window pane that fell onto a parked car.

Numerous roads were blocked or impeded after the storm, including some major routes like I-66 and the GW Parkway.

“Numerous trees and large branches blew down blocking eastbound [I-66]” near Rosslyn, according to the National Weather Service; the lanes reportedly reopened around 6:30 p.m. U.S. Park Police is also reporting the GW Parkway blocked near Spout Run due to trees down. Heavy traffic is still reported on both routes as of 6:45 p.m.

Both directions of Spout Run are blocked due to trees down, including one said to be down on a vehicle near Lorcom Lane, per scanner traffic.

ART buses were delayed due to the storm damaged, according to Arlington Transit.

Trees are down on at least eight houses, including one on the unit block of S. Fillmore Street, where people were reported to be trapped. They have since been reported to be out and safe. Other trees were reported down on houses on the 900 block of N. Cleveland Street, the 5200 block of 11th Road N. and the 3000 block of 17th Road S., as well as in yards, on fences, and across neighborhood streets.

A number of structure fires were also reported, mostly due to downed wires or lightning strikes.

Just after the storm passed a house was on fire in the Barcroft neighborhood, near the intersection of S. Pershing Drive and 2nd Street S. Another residential structure fire was reported on the 4900 block of 7th Road S.  As of 6:10 p.m., Arlington County firefighters were responding to a report of a tree down on a house and power lines sparking on top of the roof, on the 2900 block of 22nd Street N. in Maywood.

Additionally, the fire department responded to several calls of smoke inside of homes and other buildings, as well as calls for stuck elevators as a result of power outages.

Arlington fire department resources are maxed out, according to scanner traffic. Authorities are asking residents not to call 911 except in the event of an emergency due to the high volume of calls.

Among the other reports of storm damage in Arlington:

  • 23rd Street S. and S. Hayes Street: 23rd Street S. blocked by downed trees and utility lines
  • N. Illinois Street and Washington Blvd: Numerous trees down, including one that fell into a house
  • 19th Street N. and N. Nelson Street: Trees down blocking street
  • N. Kirkwood Road south of Langston Blvd: Trees down blocking street
  • 19th Street N. and N. Nelson Street: Trees down
  • S. Woodrow Street and 2nd Street S.: Trees and wires down
  • Rosslyn (various locations): Fences blown down and construction debris scattered
  • Wilson Blvd and N. Lexington Street: Tree and utility lines down
  • N. Lexington Street and 8th Road N.: Utility lines down
  • N. Garfield Street and Clarendon Blvd: Utilities line down blocking road
  • Gulf Branch Nature Center: People are unable to leave the parking lot due to a downed tree and lines
  • N. Pershing Drive and N. Fillmore Street — Road blocked by downed tree
  • N. Jackson Street and N. Pershing Drive — Trees down, blocking road
  • Washington Blvd and 13th Street N. — Construction fencing down in front of apartment building under construction in Clarendon
  • WB Route 50 at N. Courthouse Road — Tree down, partially across road
  • 10th Street N. and Route 50 — Traffic lights are “backwards, causing a major issue,” per scanner
  • WB Route 50 at N. Edison Street — Tree down, blocking two lanes
  • 2500 block of N. Upland Street — Tree down onto car, blocking road
  • Key Blvd and N. Herndon Street — Trees down, blocking road
  • S. Wakefield Street near Barcroft Elementary — Tree down onto wires
  • 1700 block of S. Garfield Street — Tree down blocking road
  • 100 block of N. Oakland Street — Tree down across road
  • 10th Street N. between Wilson Blvd and Washington Blvd — Police are blocking intersections due to power outage and debris
  • 2nd Street N. and N. Highland Street — Tree down blocking roadway
  • N. Kenilworth Street and 19th Street N. — Trees down blocking road
  • Arlington Ridge Road near 23rd Street S. — Trees down, road blocked

“There’s stuff down everywhere,” said ARLnow staff photographer Jay Westcott, after photographing damage across the county. “It’s almost like the derecho in 2012.”

Westcott said he saw many drivers “Wild West-ing it” through darkened traffic signals, rather than treating the intersections as a four-way stop.

The line of storms that crossed Arlington packed damaging wind gusts. A 58 mph gust was recorded at Hoffman-Boston Elementary, while a 60 mph gust was recorded at National Airport. Across the Potomac, a 84 mph gust was reported at George Washington University’s Mount Vernon Campus, according to the National Weather Service.

Some views of the storm and the damage across Arlington via social media:

(more…)

BREAKING: Firefighters battling two-alarm house fire in Bluemont

By ARLnow.com
1/9

(Updated at 3 p.m.) Firefighters battled heavy fire at a house in the Bluemont neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.

The first dispatch went out around 2 p.m., for a fire spotted by a neighbor on the 800 block of N. Kensington Street, north of Wilson Blvd. A second alarm was quickly sounded.

Initial reports suggest that the house was being renovated and that the flames are being fanned in part by today’s gusty winds. Construction personnel could be seen working on the home earlier today, neighbors told ARLnow.

The fire was declared out as of 3 p.m. and most firefighters are now packing up their gear.

The damage to the structure is likely to be significant, but no serious injuries have been reported.

ACFD on scene of house fire near university

By ARLnow.com
Location of house fire (via Google Maps)

Firefighters are battling a house fire on 26th Street N. for the second time tonight.

Initial reports suggest that a fire in the basement has been extinguished, but the house is still filled with smoke. Firefighters responded to the same house around 6 p.m. tonight, after a report of a chair on fire, according to scanner traffic.

The occupants reportedly made it out of the house without injury both times.

The home is located on the 4500 block of 26th Street N., near Marymount from Washington Golf and Country Club. The road is said to be blocked due to the fire department activity.

Map via Google Maps

Worker reported injured in electrical incident that sparked house fire

By ARLnow.com
1/4

A house fire in the Old Glebe neighborhood last night sent one person to the hospital.

The fire happened on N. Upland Street between N. Glebe Road and 38th Street N. around 5:30 p.m. Initial reports suggest that a plumber accidentally sliced an electrical line, injuring them and sparking a fire.

Firefighters extinguished the flames, brought the injured worker to a nearby hospital via ambulance, and worked to clear out some of the smoke from the home.

Several vans from a local plumbing company could be seen parked in front of the residence.

A fire department spokesman said the injured person had non-life-threatening injuries, but was unable to confirm the exact circumstances.

“The Arlington County Fire Department was dispatched around 5:35pm for a reported structure fire in the 3800 block of N. Upland Street,” Capt. Nate Hiner told ARLnow. “Crews arrived quickly and found a small fire that was swiftly extinguished. The origin and cause remain under investigation by our Fire Prevention Office. [One] civilian was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
The Italian Store and Westover after sunset (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

House Fire Near Columbia Pike — From ACFD last night: “Units are on the scene of a working structure fire in the 3100 BLK of 15th St S. Avoid the area.” [Twitter]

Will ‘NaLa’ Catch On?  — “At first, it showed up on freebie water bottles. Then it made its way onto rainbow shirts for Pride Month. In June, it popped up on Instagram as a hashtag, and in July, it was suddenly plastered on the surfboard and silver Airstream set up in a grassy patch of Arlington, declaring to the commuters, dog walkers and joggers strutting by that their neighborhood had earned a new nickname: NaLa.” [Washington Post]

Will Home Prices Fall? — “The real-estate industry’s equivalent of the ‘f-word’ – ‘falling,’ as in ‘falling prices’ – is beginning to be used across the nation even by some who earlier felt that the homes market would withstand economic pressures without seeing declines in sales prices. But in the local area, one expert believes that localities remain largely insulated from the prospect of dropping prices over the near term.” [Sun Gazette]

Latin Masses Curtailed — “Thirteen parishes in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, must stop offering Traditional Latin Masses come Sept. 8 under new rules issued Friday by Bishop Michael J. Burbidge to conform with Pope Francis’ liturgical directives. Under the rules, eight other parishes may continue to offer Masses in what is called the Extraordinary Form, but five of those may only do so in other locations besides their churches, including school buildings and a former church.” [Catholic News Agency]

Arlington Man Wins Jeopardy! — Luigi de Guzman, an attorney from Arlington, won Friday’s episode of TV quiz show Jeopardy! with a final score of $23,401. [J! Archive]

Summer School Success — “There were the inevitable glitches, but it appears Arlington Public Schools’ soon-to-wrap-up summer-school program was a relatively smooth endeavor. ‘We’re really excited about all of the great learning,’ Superintendent Francisco Durán said in an update to School Board members on the effort, which attracted 3,152 students, ‘the vast majority’ in person, Durán said.” [Sun Gazette]

Monday Was Dark Star Park Day — From the Rosslyn BID: “While the clouds parted a little later than 9:32AM, we were glad to watch this year’s Dark Star Park Day alignment with all of you!” [Twitter]

It’s Tuesday — Humid throughout the day. High of 89 and low of 75. Sunrise at 6:12 am and sunset at 8:20 pm. [Weather.gov]

Firefighters battle early morning house fire in Barcroft

By ARLnow.com
1/2

(Updated at 10:10 a.m.) Firefighters battled a two-alarm blaze at a house in the Barcroft neighborhood this morning.

The fire on the 4600 block of 6th Street S. was reported shortly before 5:30 a.m. First arriving units reported heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof of a two-story home.

It took firefighters from several local jurisdictions about an hour to fully extinguish the blaze, which appeared to have mostly burned the top floor or attic area.

“Crews made an initial interior attack on the fire but were pulled out due to deteriorating conditions,” Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Nate Hiner tells ARLnow. “After attacking the fire from the exterior, units were able to enter the structure again to put out the remainder of the fire. The bulk of the fire was extinguished in 40 minutes.”

“A second alarm was requested to bring this fire under control,” Hiner noted. “Roughly 75 firefighters responded to the scene, and ACFD was assisted by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department as well as the City of Alexandria Fire Department.”

No injuries were reported.

One nearby resident said the home was unoccupied at the time. Another told ARLnow that they could smell smoke from the blaze from Columbia Pike.

The cause of the fire is now under investigation.

“The Fire Prevention Office remains at the scene to investigate the cause and origin,” said Hiner.

Photos courtesy Dennis Dimick/Flickr and the Arlington County Fire Department/Twitter

UPDATED: Fire pit debris causes weekend house fire near Westover

By ARLnow.com
1/10

(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) Fire damaged a house in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood, a few blocks from Westover Village.

The fire broke out shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday, reportedly in an outdoor deck area next to the house, which sent a column of dark smoke into the sky. The fire then spread to the home and the attic.

A large fire department response blocked streets around the home, near the intersection of 18th Street N. and N. Lexington Street. It took nearly an hour to extinguish all of the flames and hot spots. Firefighters remained on scene several hours after the initial dispatch, documenting the scene and investigating the cause of the blaze.

No injuries were reported.

On Monday afternoon, the Arlington County Fire Department revealed that the blaze started after the smoldering contents of a metal fire pit were dumped near a wooden fence. The fire caused more than $300,000 in damage, ACFD said in a press release, below.

On April 2nd, at approximately 2:55 pm, units from the Arlington County Fire Department were dispatched to a reported outside fire impinging on a nearby single-family dwelling. Crews quickly arrived on the scene and found a well-advanced fire that had spread from outside, into the home. Firefighters were able to extinguish the bulk of the fire quickly and spent a significant portion of the incident opening up void spaces to check for any potential fire spread. There were no injuries reported to firefighters or civilians, and units cleared the scene that evening just before 7 pm.

The Arlington County Fire Prevention Office determined the cause of the fire to be improperly discarded fire debris from a metal fire pit placed near landscaping and a wooden fence. Initial damage estimates are more than $300,000. The Arlington County Fire Department and Fire Prevention Office would like to remind everyone that open flames or discarded fire debris should be kept at least 15 feet away from combustible material until fully cooled. For more information on grilling and open burning, please visit Grilling/Open Burning – Official Website of Arlington County Virginia Government (arlingtonva.us)

Video courtesy Stephanie Minkoff

Firefighters save three dogs from late night house fire

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Firefighters rescued three dogs from a house fire in Arlington early this morning.

The fire broke out shortly before 1 a.m. at a home on N. Kensington Street, just north of Langston Blvd in the Leeway Overlee neighborhood.

The house filled with smoke after a fire in the dishwasher, according to scanner traffic. The residents made it out okay but told arriving first responders that their three dogs were still inside. Firefighters searched the house and were able to find each dog one-by-one, apparently in different parts of the house.

No people nor pets were hurt, the Arlington County Fire Department said this morning.

“Smoke alarms SAVE LIVES!” the fire department said on Twitter.

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