Dog dies in Old Town high-rise apartment fire

Published September 10, 2025 at 10:00AM

A high-rise building fire was extinguished at 1202 S. Washington Street on Sept. 9, 2025 (via IAFF/Facebook)

A dog died in a high-rise apartment fire at 1202 S. Washington Street on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 9).

The Alexandria Fire Department responded to the blaze at an apartment on the eighth floor just before 4 p.m. and found “dark smoke conditions,” as well as a smoldering mattress and a deceased dog in a cage by the bed, according to AFD dispatches.

The building was evacuated, and the fire was contained to one apartment, according to the Alexandria Firefighters Local 2141.

The blaze was extinguished in about 15 minutes, according to dispatches.

“Engine 201 and Truck 205 arrived, finding a fire in an 8th-floor apartment and extinguished the same,” the fire department union posted on Facebook. “Companies contained the fire to one apartment. The AFD Fire Marshall’s are on the scene investigating.”

Image via Facebook

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James Cullum

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.