Alexandria Fire Department

Alexandria remembrance ceremony to mark 25 years since 9/11 attacks

Published September 10, 2026 at 9:15AM

Alexandria's Joint Public Safety Honor Guard at the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Alexandria's Market Square, Sept. 11, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria and the rest of the nation will take a day to reflect and remember Friday (Sept. 11) on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The City of Alexandria will hold its annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony from 10-11 a.m. Friday at Alexandria Police Department Headquarters (3600 Wheeler Avenue). The ceremony, remembering the victims, survivors, first responders and others impacted by 9/11, will include a presentation of colors, remarks by Mayor Alyia Gaskins and public safety officials and a return to quarters ceremony.

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Thousands lose power and multiple rescued from floodwaters as strong storms hit Alexandria

By Emily Leayman

Published September 4, 2026 at 9:15AM | Updated September 4, 2026 at 3:54PM

Downed tree at Chinquapin loop road (courtesy of Eric Keber)

Downed trees and thousands of Dominion Energy customers with power outages were without power in Alexandria after a strong thunderstorm system that rocked the region overnight into Friday.

Most power outages had been restored. More than 2,300 customers were without power at 10 a.m., and that number dropped to about about 400 by 4 p.m.

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Lanes reopen after crash backs up traffic on southbound I-395 in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 26, 2026 at 4:30PM | Updated August 26, 2026 at 5:12PM

Crash on I-395 southbound at Little River Turnpike on Aug. 26, 2026 (via VDOT)

A driver was reportedly injured in a two-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 395 near the Duke Street/Little River Turnpike exit Wednesday afternoon.

The crash between a black SUV and a tan Toyota sedan was reported just after 3:45 p.m. Alexandria police and fire responders cut off traffic in the third and fourth lanes near the righthand shoulder of the roadway. The crash occurred just before exit 3 on I-395.

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Delivery truck hits power line, sparking fire behind Shoppes at Foxchase

By James Cullum

Published August 26, 2026 at 11:45AM

Fire behind the Shoppes at Foxchase in Alexandria’s West End on Aug. 25, 2026 (via AFD/Facebook)

No injuries were reported after a delivery truck driver hit a power line behind a shopping center in Alexandria’s West End on Tuesday night (Aug. 25), sparking a fire that destroyed a pickup truck, two dumpsters and fencing.

The fire was reported behind the Harris Teeter (4641 Duke Street) at the Shoppes at Foxchase just before 9 p.m. and was extinguished an hour later. The fire started after the driver of a tractor-trailer making a delivery in the rear of the Harris Teeter “accidentally struck an electrical service drop,” according to the Alexandria Fire Department. No buildings were damaged.

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UPDATED: AFD extinguishes small fire on Metro tracks at Braddock Road station

By Emily Leayman

Published August 25, 2026 at 5:00PM | Updated August 26, 2026 at 9:15AM

Braddock Road Metro station on Aug. 25, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

An apparent small fire on the Metro tracks prompted an emergency response at the Braddock Road Metro station Tuesday evening.

The Alexandria Fire Department was called to the station (700 N. West Street) around 5:14 p.m. According to radio dispatches, a Metro supervisor called 911 to report potential wood burning on Track 2. Units found an apparent smoking crosstie and did not believe Metro had to shut down the electrified third rail.

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UPDATED: AFD hazmat team contains apparent diesel spill in Hooffs Run

By Emily Leayman

Published August 11, 2026 at 4:25PM | Updated August 11, 2026 at 7:25PM

Hazmat spill in Hooffs Run, Aug. 11, 2026 (via Alexandria Fire Department/X]

An apparent diesel spill in Hooffs Run prompted a response by the Alexandria Fire Department Tuesday afternoon in the Carlyle area.

Around 3:32 p.m., units responded to Holland Lane and Jamieson Avenue for an investigation of a “reddish liquid” flowing downstream in Hooffs Run. The caller believed it may be heating oil entering the waterway around the bridge between the Public Storage building and Residence Inn, according to radio dispatches.

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Police and fire presence at ACHS Minnie Howard Campus planned for emergency drill

By Emily Leayman

Published August 10, 2026 at 2:45PM

Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus (staff photo by James Cullum)

Residents shouldn’t be alarmed when they see an increased police and fire presence at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus later this week.

The Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria City Public Schools and other emergency partners will hold an incident response drill at the campus (3775 W. Braddock Road) Thursday (Aug. 13). Expect police, fire and EMS vehicles and personnel to be in the area between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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Record participation set for Alexandria’s National Night Out with 54 sites

By Emily Leayman

Published July 30, 2026 at 11:45AM

2025 National Night Out in Alexandria (courtesy of the Alexandria Police Department)

National Night Out, an annual program that promotes community and law enforcement partnerships to combat crime, will get record participation from Alexandria this year.

The city will have 54 participating sites on Tuesday, Aug. 4, which is also the date of Democratic and Republican primary elections.

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UPDATED: No injuries after Tuesday night house fire in Fairlington near city border

By James Cullum

Published July 29, 2026 at 11:45AM | Updated July 29, 2026 at 2:47PM

Alexandria firefighters extinguish a blaze in the rear of a home in the 4100 block of 36th Street South in the Fairlington neighborhood of Arlington, July 28, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

No injuries were reported after a fire Tuesday night (July 28) in the rear of a townhouse in the Fairlington neighborhood of Arlington, just outside the Alexandria border.

Alexandria firefighters were called to respond to a fire in the 4100 block of 36th Street S. around 11 p.m. The occupants of the home evacuated safely, the fire was extinguished less than 10 minutes later and damage was limited to the outside of the home, according to radio dispatches.

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Man rescued after reportedly jumping into Potomac River at Jones Point Park

By James Cullum

Published July 21, 2026 at 11:45AM

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge at sunset (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A man was rescued after reportedly jumping into the Potomac River at Jones Point Park near the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge on Monday night (July 20).

The incident occurred around 8:50 p.m., and the man was not injured and declined transport to the hospital. Alexandria Fire Department dispatches at the time suggested the man had been drinking and jumped into the water at the fishing pier to go swimming.

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JUST IN: Hazardous materials scene partially closes Duke Street in Alexandria

By Emily Leayman

Published July 20, 2026 at 9:30AM | Updated July 20, 2026 at 11:46AM

Hazardous materials response on Duke Street, July 20, 2026, (via Alexandria Police Department/Facebook)

A hazardous materials spill onto Duke Street in the West End prompted a partial road closure and police and fire presence Monday morning.

Around 8:07 a.m., the Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Fire Department responded to a call in the 5300 block of Duke Street about white powder substance falling from a truck.