A large fire department response responded to an underground utility fire in Crystal City this afternoon.
The fire, on the 2400 block of Crystal Drive amid office and apartment buildings, followed reports of an “explosion” heard and felt in the area shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The Pentagon City mall was evacuated Saturday evening due to a suspicious vehicle in an adjacent parking garage.
Arlington County police and the bomb squad investigated over the course of several hours. Photos and video from the scene showed a large emergency response and authorities operating an unmanned vehicle to inspect the car.
There have been multiple sightings of a black bear in North Arlington neighborhoods this morning (Monday).
The first sightings were reported in the Yorktown neighborhood.
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Arlington National Cemetery was closed for most of the day today due to a bomb threat.
The cemetery said on social media Friday morning that the threat is being investigated.
Update at 6:20 p.m. — It appears that Arlington has been spared significant damage, at least from the first wave of storms. While rain and lightning are continuing, few power outages have been reported here so far. Fairfax County saw some bigger impacts, however, with Dominion reporting nearly 15,000 customers without power there. Additional storms are possible later tonight and a Tornado Watch remains in effect until 9 p.m.
Earlier: The storms that you’ve been hearing about all day are almost here.
(Updated at 9:25 p.m.) Commonwealth’s Attorney incumbent Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has defeated challenger Josh Katcher in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Dehghani-Tafti has 56% of the vote to 44% for Katcher, her former deputy, in the heated race for the top prosecutor of Arlington and Falls Church. That’s as of 8:40 p.m., with all but a few hundred provisional and late-arriving mailed ballots counted in Arlington. Polls closed at 7 p.m.
The air quality in Arlington has reached the worst level on the scale — “hazardous.”
As of 9 a.m. the federal government website AirNow says Arlington’s AQI, or air quality index, is 313. That puts the county in “Code Maroon” territory, two levels above the more commonly known Code Red.
Arlington County police are investigating yet another carjacking in the Crystal City area.
Initial reports suggest that a group of suspects, including one armed with a gun, carjacked a dark blue BMW X6 around 8:50 p.m. The victim reported the carjacking to employees at the CVS (2400 Richmond Highway) who then called police.
(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) One person was seriously injured and Bob & Edith’s Diner was damaged after two incidents of gunfire in Arlington last night.
The first shooting happened in the Green Valley neighborhood, near the intersection of 22nd Street S. and S. Kenmore Street, shortly after 11 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing 5-6 gunshots in the area, exchanged between two vehicles, per scanner traffic.
(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) Falls Church police and Arlington medics responded to a stabbing at the Eden Center just before noon today.
One person was stabbed in the back in the rear of the shopping center, according to initial reports, and the suspect is currently at large. The circumstances leading to the stabbing, where exactly it took place in the complex, and the condition of the victim are unclear.
(Updated at 5:20 p.m.) The H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Rosslyn was put in “secure the building” mode after reports of a shooting threat phoned in to the school.
Police were first dispatched to the school at 1601 Wilson Blvd around 3 p.m.
Update at 2:55 p.m. — Metro is single-tracking past the station and expected to resume normal service soon, with fire department units clearing from the scene.
Blue Line service has been suspended at Pentagon City due to a small fire producing smoky conditions at the station.
