Arlington is not known as a hotspot for forest fires, but there’s an elevated danger of wildfires throughout Northern Virginia today.
Other parts of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia are also being warned of the fire hazard, owing to an ongoing drought, low humidity and breezy conditions.
Brush fires are not common in Arlington but they do happen, notably in 2021 when multiple brush fires broke out along the GW Parkway.
A special statement on today’s fire danger, below, from the National Weather Service.
…ELEVATED FIRE DANGER THROUGH EARLY EVENING FOR NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA, WESTERN MARYLAND, AND EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA…
Elevated fire weather conditions are expected through early evening across northern and central Virginia, western Maryland, and eastern West Virginia. Relative humidity values are expected to drop back to around 20-35 percent this afternoon (lowest in far western MD and the WV mountains, highest across the VA Piedmont and eastern portions of the WV Panhandle). Winds will be out of the south at around 5-10 mph with gusts to around 15 mph in most locations, but locally higher along the Allegheny Front (10-15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph at times). 10-hour fuel moisture will be as low as 10 or 11 percent.
Residents and visitors are urged to exercise caution if handling open flames or equipment that creates sparks. Also, dispose of
cigarette butts, matches, and other flammable items in appropriate containers. Keep vehicles off of dry grass and obey local burn bans. Most dry grasses, dead leaves, and other tree litter could easily ignite and spread fire quickly.