Heavy fire in a duplex sent a plume of thick smoke up over Arlington’s Green Valley neighborhood this morning.
The blaze broke out shortly before 10:45 a.m. Arriving firefighters reported encountering a structure “fully involved” on the 2400 block of S. Monroe Street, a block away from Drew Elementary School.
One neighbor told ARLnow that the fire rapidly grew in intensity.
“It went up really quickly,” the neighbor said. “I smelled smoke around 10:30. I thought someone might have been smoking outside my house.”
Additional units were dispatched to the scene as firefighters searched for people and pets while battling flames inside the home. So far, no injuries have been reported.
It’s unclear whether anyone was home when the fire broke out. A fire department spokesman said a person and a dog lived in the unit where the fire broke out, but neither has been located.
A large emergency response — including firefighters from Arlington, Alexandria and elsewhere — remained on scene as of publication time.
The fire was out as of 11:30 a.m., according to an Arlington County Fire Department social media post.
“Expect a large fire department response and avoid the area if possible,” ACFD said. “Crews are cleaning up and going through rehab. Fire Marshals are on scene investigating the cause.
Vernon Miles contributed to this report
