Fire Breaks Out at Wood Lee Arms Apartments

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by ARLnow.com March 28, 2011 at 9:20 am 3,291 18 Comments

A fire broke out at the Wood Lee Apartments (4400 Lee Highway) around 10:45 Friday night. The flames appeared to have been confined to four apartments on the top two floors.

Photos courtesy Deborah Eckbreth.

shirley

isn’t this building basically a Marymount dorm at this point?
- John Goilios
  
  Not from what I’ve seen. It has a combo of elderly and immigrants.
CW

I drove by there at about 5:50 PM last night on the way to N. Arlington’s last bastion of functioning Shell stations and noticed that there was a fire restoration company truck parked out front, which piqued my curiosity. Thanks, ArlNow…mystery solved.
steve

Why did the Falls Church PD respond to it? This is one of my worst fears living in a apt/condo building, espcially in this area. You are at the mercy of idiots who live in your building.

Just imagine if you had firealarms going off in the middle of the night, you have pets that are not easily obtainable, valuable things. You could lose them, valueables, etc because of some moron in your building. And not everyone has the 1.2 million dollars to buy a 3 bedroom house around here to avoid this risk.
- shirley
  
  Falls Church was closest so they responded. Or maybe they were second-alarm. we share our fire resources among Arlington, Alexandria, National Airport.
  - ARLnow.com
    
    I heard it was a second alarm but so far that’s not confirmed.
    - JJ
      
      I assume you mean Falls Church FD. Anyways, the Truck in the picture is Truck 106 which is staffed 24/7 365 by Arlington County firefighters. Station 6 in Falls Church uses ACFD for staffing and purchases their own apparatus supplemented by Arlington County which is why is says “City of Falls Church”. Truck 106 is the second due Truck company on the first alarm to that address. They are positioned at the rear of the building, whereas the first due truck should be positioned at the front of the building (Truck 104 from Clarendon).
      - Westover
        
        Exactly. City of Falls Church has been contracting Fire Service from Arlington County for decades. The Falls Church Fire House is designated as Station 6 for both Fairfax County and Arlington County.
        
        “FCVFD UNITS RESPOND TO WORKING STRUCTURE FIRE IN CHERRYDALE
        Posted – Monday, March 28th, 2011
        Late Friday Night, March 26th at 10:50PM, units from the Arlington County were dispatched to a report of a structure fire at 4400 Lee Highway in the Cherrydale area of Arlington County. Units arrived on scene to find a 4-story apartment building with heavy smoke showing from a 3rd floor appartment. A second-alarm was transmitted by the incident commander, which brought additional fire apparatus from Arlington County, Fairfax County and Fort Myer as well as volunteer units Ambulance 102, Light and Air 103 and Canteen 106. Three residents were transported to the hospital Medic 110, Medic 106 and Ambulance 102. Units then turned the scene over to the ACFD Fire Marshal for investigation of the incident.
        
        At approximately 02:30AM, ACFD units were dispatched back to the fire scene. Initial reports were for a small fire in the original fire apartment. A small fire was found on the 3rd floor in the ceiling of the original fire apartment. Shortly thereafter, units reported a larger fire on the 4th floor and extending into the roof area; the call was then upgraded to a 2nd alarm. Volunteer units Ambulance 102, Light & Air 103, Utility 106, and Canteen 106 responded along with other fire apparatus from around the county. Ambulance 102 and Canteen 106 assisted with firefighter rehabilitation, while Light & Air 103 provided air, lighting and logistical support on the scene.
        
        In total over 25 county and mutual aid units responded to the incidents.”
        http://www.fallschurchvfd.org/
      - Slayingthedragon
        
        rekindle. how embarrassing.
    - John Goilios
      
      Second alarm, not once but twice. I was listening. Insomnia is good for something.
- mehoo
  
  “You are at the mercy of idiots who live in your building.”
  
  You mean the smokers?
  - CW
    
    OH NO YOU DIDN’T! SNAP!
  - FireMarshalBill
    
    not just smokers, but idiots who don’t close their door behind them in a non-sprinklered building.
  - steve
    
    No, I mean idiots who try to deep fry turkeys.
    - CW
      
      Lol, I am laughing so hard right now…indoors? You’re kidding, right?
Nicer

Hats go off to Arlington Fire Department for saving first People and then furnishings. Long night and greatly appreciated! Keep up the fine work. Not every community in our region could say that!
- southie
  
  +1 And, isn’t it great that they were able to respond and not park at the end of a street that was too narrow for the firetruck!!
Arlwhenever

Now that the building is damaged, the occupants were flushed out and we know it’s not occupied by Yuppies, time for a charette — redevelop and eliminate all that surface parking at that and neighboring apartment complexes and the incredibly popular and successful shopping center across the street. Cm’on Zimmerman, you can do it.

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