A trio of townhouses is coming to the site of a duplex destroyed in an explosion in the Bluemont neighborhood two years ago.
Construction on the project at the end of a cul-de-sac off of Bluemont Junction Trail is well underway, with an expected delivery in late summer, according to signage posted at the property. Each of the three townhomes, located at 836, 840 and 844 N. Burlington Street, are advertised with over 4,000 square feet.
Decades of preparation were put to the test when Arlington’s public-safety community came face to face with chaos last December.
And that training and collaboration paid off when neither first-responders nor those in the general public suffered significant injuries from a house explosion following a tense standoff in the Bluemont neighborhood.
The owners of one half of a Bluemont duplex that was destroyed in a December house explosion are attempting to rebuild.
The previous occupants of the currently empty lot on N. Burlington Street went before the Arlington Board of Zoning Appeals yesterday (Wednesday) with a proposal to construct a single-family detached house there.
An Arlington man likely caused the explosion that killed him and leveled his house during a standoff with police in December, authorities have concluded.
James Yoo, 56, appears to have poured gasoline throughout the basement where the blast — which engulfed the house in a fireball, hurled debris for three blocks and could be heard and felt for miles around — originated. Investigators concluded that Yoo himself likely sparked the blast by striking an ignition source such as a match, lighter, flare or gun.
Crews are working to clean up a park and a trail following Monday’s house explosion in Bluemont.
Arlington County provided an update about the incident late Thursday afternoon, noting that the exact cause of the explosion — which followed a police standoff with a resident now presumed dead — remains unknown.
(Updated at 11:35 a.m.) When the GoFundMe campaign for the Smith family launched 24 hours ago, it had a goal of raising $50,000. As of publication, it has raised about $140,000.
An outpouring of support for the family that lost everything in the explosion of their Bluemont duplex has been attracting donations from across Arlington, the region and the country. More than 2,000 have donated so far, including individuals and local groups.
(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) The man whose house exploded during a standoff with police is dead.
James Yoo, 56, is presumed dead as a result of the explosion of the duplex at 844 N. Burlington Street, in the Bluemont neighborhood, Arlington County police confirmed during a news conference this afternoon.
(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) The exploded Little Free Library in Arlington Forest was mysteriously rebuilt last week, much to the delight of the owners.
It was a cold, overcast, slightly snowy Wednesday morning last week when Sharon Beth Bronheim left her Arlington Forest home to do a quick errand. As it had since November when an unknown assailant blew up the Little Free Library that was once there. As a temporary measure, a plastic box filled with books sat on the wood platform in front of the house.
Federal and state law enforcement have joined the investigation into a series of small explosions in the Arlington Forest neighborhood.
As ARLnow first reported, someone blew up a Little Free Library on the 100 block of N. Columbus Street and caused another small explosion at the nearby Lubber Run amphitheater early Wednesday morning.
A Little Free Library was blown up in the Arlington Forest neighborhood overnight.
The explosion happened shortly after midnight on the 100 block of N. Columbus Street, near the intersection with the Arlington Blvd service road.
(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) A man suffered serious burn injuries after a flash fire erupted in the kitchen of a popular Ballston restaurant during Tuesday’s lunchtime rush.
Three others were being treated for potential injuries after the flare-up at Dirt restaurant, which recently opened at 4121 Wilson Blvd.
Tree Falls in Aurora Highlands — A large tree fell across 23rd Street S. in Aurora Highland, near Crystal City, yesterday evening around 5:15 p.m. It happened near the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church, between S. Ives and Hayes streets, amid gusty winds that felled other trees and branches around Arlington. The tree reportedly fell on a passing car, but those inside the vehicle were not injured. [Twitter]
Challenger Presses Favola — “Affordable housing and ethical issues took center stage as Democratic contenders for the 31st state Senate seat last week squared off for the first time leading up to the June 11 primary. Facing an uphill battle to knock off a two-term incumbent, challenger Nicole Merlene pressed the case that state Sen. Barbara Favola is too beholden to special interests to effectively represent the district.” [InsideNova]
