fire department | ARLnow.com

Published April 15, 2013 at 10:05AM

The Girls’ Fire Camp, a free overnight camp scheduled for July 12-14, is designed to give girls aged 13 to 16 a taste of the firefighter’s life. Participants will work out, run drills and learn skills — all under the close supervision of ACFD staff. The department’s recruiting officer, Capt. Brandon D. Jones, described the camp as a “fun-filled weekend” in which high school students will “learn how to stay in great shape” while performing basic firefighting and emergency medical tasks.

“The department hopes to make a long-term connection with the participants,” Jones said. “After they attend this camp, some may be inspired to continue their ambition to become a Firefighter/EMT in the future.”

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Metrobus Involved in Accident on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Published April 2, 2013 at 8:10PM | Updated July 12, 2017 at 1:26PM

The wreck happened just before 7:00 p.m. at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Queen Street. According to Metro spokesman Dan Stessel, a driver in a white Kia pulled out from Queen Street in front of a 16G Metrobus heading eastbound on the Pike. The bus and the car collided head-on, police said. The Kia then spun around and made contact with another vehicle heading westbound on the Pike, causing minor damage.

Firefighters had to extricate the adult female driver and adult male passenger from the Kia. They were transported to George Washington University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

News

Two Alarm Apartment Fire Closes Lanes on Columbia Pike

By Katie Pyzyk

Published March 28, 2013 at 9:45PM | Updated March 28, 2013 at 11:38PM

Firefighters are packing up and leaving the scene of a two alarm apartment fire on the 3400 block of Carlyn Hill Drive, along the Arlington/Fairfax border.

The call came in a little before 8:00 p.m. for a fire in an apartment on the third floor of the residential building. Firefighters managed to contain it to that one apartment.

News

Apartment Fire in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published February 28, 2013 at 3:05PM

The Arlington County Fire Department responded to a blaze in a high-rise apartment building last night.

The fire, in a 12th floor unit at the Bennington Apartments (1201 S. Eads Street) in Crystal City, was reported just before 9:00 p.m. Firefighters managed to quickly extinguish the flames, but not before the floor filled with smoke.

News

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Published February 26, 2013 at 8:50AM | Updated February 26, 2013 at 10:18AM

Pentagon City Mall Renovations — Coming on the heels of the news that Ballston Common Mall will be getting a revamp, the owners of Fashion Centre at Pentagon City announced plans to renovate that mall as well. Although no formal plan has been revealed, changes could include adding office space or apartments. Renovations for the 24-year-old mall would be paid for out of a pot of about $1 billion that Simon Property Group Inc. has set aside for updating its properties. [Washington Business Journal]

Fire Hydrant Color Meaning — Arlington doesn’t have one standard color for fire hydrants; instead, the county adopted a coloring system in the 1990s indicating the flow of water at each particular hydrant. Blue hydrants have water flow above 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm), green is between 1,000 and 1,500 gpm, orange is 500 to 1,000 gpm and red is below 500 gpm. The color scheme allows firefighters to quickly determine if one hydrant will be enough to fight a fire, or if a water relay system is necessary. [Washington Post]

News

ACFD Battles Weekend Fires

By ARLnow.com

Published February 19, 2013 at 9:45AM

The Arlington County Fire Department battled at least three fires over the long holiday weekend.

On Saturday, firefighters extinguished a fire in a detached shed behind a home on the 2900 block of 7th Street N. in Lyon Park. The smoky fire spread to an adjacent fence and caused minor damage to adjacent sheds, but otherwise did not damage any houses, according to ACFD spokesman Gregg Karl.

News

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Published December 19, 2012 at 8:50AM

ACFD Food Drive Ends Friday — The Arlington County Fire Department’s food drive, which began on December 1, will end this Friday, December 21. So far, ACFD has collected more than 1,200 pounds of food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center. Non-perishable food can be donated at all Arlington and Falls Church fire departments, and at the county government building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

County Hopes Residents Remove Snow to Avoid Fines — Arlington officials are reminding residents that it could be another year that snow piles up and needs to be removed from sidewalks. The county hopes residents follow the snow removal ordinance that was put in place in 2010. Failure to remove snow is a civil infraction that holds fines of $50-100, and moving snow from private property into public areas (like streets) is a Class 4 misdemeanor. So far, no tickets have been issued under the ordinance. [Sun Gazette]

Around Town

Fireplace Safety Tips from ACFD

By ARLnow.com

Published December 14, 2012 at 11:30AM

While a fireplace can provide warmth and make for a cozy holiday setting, it can also be dangerous if not cared for properly.

At the request of ARLnow.com, the Arlington County Fire Department sent us the following safety tips for fireplace users, as outlined by the U.S. Fire Administration.

News

Weekend House Fires

By ARLnow.com

Published December 3, 2012 at 10:00AM

File photo

A fire in the attic of a home on the 900 block of Patrick Henry Drive, in the Dominion Hills neighborhood near Seven Corners, caused significant damage late Saturday night. Two residents were displaced by the fire and the Red Cross responded to the scene to assist them, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl.

Another house fire was reported around the same time on the 2500 block of Walter Reed Drive, at the Windgate townhouse community. The fire was on the first floor of the home and was quickly extinguished.

News

ACFD Holding Food Drive for AFAC

By ARLnow.com

Published November 26, 2012 at 11:35AM

File photo

The food drive will run from Saturday, Dec. 1 to Friday, Dec. 21. Firefighters will collect non-perishable food donations at fire stations in Arlington and Falls Church, and at the county government building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd in Courthouse. The donations will then be sent to AFAC, which is based in the Shirlington area.

AFAC is most in need of items like cereal, flour, cooking oil, pasta or canned tuna, according to a press release. The organization serves more than 4,000 adults and children on an average week.

Around Town

ACFD: Distracted Cooking Is Top Thanksgiving Fire Hazard

By ARLnow.com

Published November 21, 2012 at 1:15PM

“Burnt food or food on the stove calls are more frequent than turkey fryer incidents,” ACFD spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl told ARLnow.com. “Distracted cooking is hazardous.”

Distracted cooking leads to almost daily fire-related calls to houses and apartment buildings in Arlington. Most food-on-the-stove calls just result in lots of smoke or minor fires that are quickly extinguished, but some can lead to full-scale fires.

News

Gas Leak Shuts Down Roads in Buckingham

By ARLnow.com

Published November 6, 2012 at 1:25PM

Earlier: A two square block area in the Buckingham neighborhood, near the Gates of Ballston apartment complex, has been closed to vehicle and pedestrian vehicle due to a gas line rupture.

Construction workers ruptured a 2 inch gas line outside an apartment building at the corner of 4th Street N. and N. Thomas Street, according to scanner traffic. Washington Gas is on scene making repairs while firefighters stand by.