News

Alexandria City High School briefly evacuated due to fire alarm

By Vernon Miles and James Cullum
ACHS mid-evacuation on Aug. 22 (staff photo by James Cullum)

In what’s become an annual tradition at this point, the first week of school at Alexandria City High School was disrupted with a fire alarm.

Students were evacuated from the school a little after 2 p.m. today (Thursday). Students returned to the school less than 30 minutes later as the Alexandria Fire Department confirmed there was no danger.

According to scanner traffic, the alarm was accidentally triggered by technicians working on the sprinkler system.

About the Authors

  • Vernon Miles is the ALXnow cofounder and editor. He's covered Alexandria since 2014 and has been with Local News Now since 2018. When he's not reporting, he can usually be found playing video games or Dungeons and Dragons with friends.

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.