A car caught fire in a Clarendon parking lot around 4:00 this afternoon.
The car was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, near the intersection of Fairfax Drive and 10th Street N. Thick black smoke could be seen rising into the sky around the Clarendon and Virginia Square area.
Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire. There were no reports of injuries. No word yet on a cause.
Photo courtesy Rebecca Cooper
Car on Fire on I-395 — A car caught fire on southbound I-395 near Boundary Channel around 9:30 last night. The car was fully-engulfed by the time firefighters arrived on scene. No injuries were reported
Sun Gazette: Thumbs Down to Board’s ‘Walmart’ Action — The County Board’s last-minute, unannounced vote at the end of its final meeting before the summer recess is getting a “thumbs down” in the opinion pages of the Sun Gazette. The Board voted to advertise hearings on a zoning ordinance amendment that would prevent large-format retailers like Walmart from building a store without prior Board approval. “County staff so far have been unable to explain what the rush is – they want to get this approved by the County Board later in the month – and exactly what problem they are trying to solve,” the paper opined. [Sun Gazette]
School Board Challenger Drops Out — Independent Green candidate for school board Andrea Ochoa has withdrawn from the race, according to Arlington elections officials. Incumbent Democrat Abby Raphael will now run unopposed.
Street Sign Mistakes — Typos happen, including on street signs in Arlington. Among the examples: “22rd Road,” “Chian Br. Road” and an unspecified misspelling of “school” on a parking sign. [Falls Church News-Press]
Photo courtesy of @cmags44
A car caught on fire on eastbound I-66 near Rosslyn tonight.
The car, said to be a Volkswagen bug, was fully engulfed between I-66 and the entrance ramp from Lee Highway when firefighters arrived on the scene, just before 8:45 p.m.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but not before causing a backup. All lanes of eastbound I-66 were blocked for a time.
A “Shred-It” paper shredding truck caught fire in Crystal City early this afternoon.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which apparently started in the paper shredding machine within the truck. The shredded documents within the truck were doused with water, creating a sticky-looking mess but otherwise preventing the fire from spreading. No injuries were reported.
All northbound lanes of S. Eads Street were shut down between 18th Street and 20th Street while firefighters battled the flames. The road has since reopened.
Update at 11:35 a.m. — Route 50 has reopened.
A collision between a pickup truck and an SUV blocked both lanes of westbound Route 50 at S. Columbus Street around 10:45 this morning.
The two drivers were treated on the scene and taken to the hospital with injuries described as “minor.” A small fire broke out in one of the vehicle’s engine compartments, but was quickly extinguished by police.
Westbound Route 50 traffic was diverted onto Park Drive, near the Outback Steakhouse. A flatbed truck arrived on scene and towed both vehicles away.
Update at 7:20 p.m. — As of 6:45 p.m., all lanes on I-66 have reopened.
A tractor trailer fire in Fairfax County may tie up rush hour traffic on I-66 this evening.
A truck carrying hay caught fire near Route 123 this afternoon. The hay quickly became fully-engulfed, leaving a smoldering mess that forced authorities to close all westbound lanes of I-66. At least two Bobcat front loaders have been brought in to help with the firefighting and clean-up efforts.
Backups on westbound I-66 now extend to the Beltway. The backups may worsen as rush hour approaches. Cars have been spotted crossing the median on I-66 in an attempt to get out of the miles-long traffic jam.
Westbound Route 50, a possible alternate route, is also backed up to the Beltway.
Photo courtesy @DavidLyonHall
Storm Damage Caused by ‘Macroburst’ — The National Weather Service says the extensive damaged caused by Sunday night’s storm was caused by a “macroburst” — a larger version of a microburst. The macroburst brought winds of 60-70 miles per hour to some North Arlington neighborhoods, causing trees and power poles to snap in half. [MyFoxDC]
RV Catches Fire on GW Parkway — Traffic was brought to a standstill on the GW Parkway Monday morning when an RV burst into flames. Dark, billowing smoke from the fire could be seen across the river in D.C. The driver got out safely, but the RV was a total loss. [NBC Washington]
Pike Residents ‘Want it All’ — Columbia Pike residents who participated in last week’s ‘charrette‘ process “want to have their cake and eat it too,” in the words of one planner. The county is working to satisfy their demands for expensive amenities and preserved affordable housing. [Washington Examiner]
Arlington Schools Handle Language Challenges — Arlington Public Schools’ Language Services and Registration Center helps children from nearly 3,000 immigrant families, who communicate in 96 different languages, to integrate into the school system. [Washington Post]
Flickr pool photo by Runneralan2004
A van caught fire on northbound I-395 near the Pentagon around 6:00 tonight. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. So far, there are no reports of injuries.
Firefighters shut down at least one left-hand lane, but there did not appear to be any major slowdowns as a result of the fire.
A three-vehicle accident has been reported in the lefthand lanes of westbound Route 50 near the exit to Rosslyn-Key Bridge.
The fire department is on the scene and reporting that one of the vehicles is on fire.
Update at 6:05 p.m. — The fire has been extinguished. One patient is being evaluated by medics. As of right now, only one lane is getting by on westbound Route 50, causing delays.
From our Twitter feed:
Police just used fire extinguishers to put out a vehicle fire near Crystal Drive and 18th Street. Anybody get photos?
On Twitter, several office workers reported seeing or smelling smoke in the area.
A minivan caught on fire in the parking lot of the Costco store in Pentagon City today. The vehicle’s engine compartment was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived around 1:45 p.m.
No one was in the minivan when the fire broke out and there were no injuries, we’re told.
The cause of the fire is unclear, but the minivan’s front end appeared to be parked over a pile of mulch. Firefighters hosed down the scorched mulch after extinguishing the flames.
Unbelievably, at a time when it seems like almost everybody has a video-capable cell phone, no one who was watching the scene unfold got video of the flames. Not even the half dozen Best Buy employees watching from the store’s loading dock. C’mon, Geek Squad, step it up. –Ed.
Update at 4:15 pm. — The excitement outside the Pentagon City Costco continues. An hour after the car fire, paramedics were called to Fern Street, in front of the store, for an accident with injuries. As they were working on a woman who had arm and facial injuries, a good Samaritan pointed out a man with who was lying unresponsive under a bench. Medics gave him an IV and brought him to the hospital.
