A fire in an apartment prompted a large emergency response in Old Town, near City Hall, early Thursday afternoon.
The fire broke out shortly after noon, at a building on the 400 block of N. Cameron Street. Initial reports suggest it was a fire in the kitchen of a third floor apartment, with the flames visible from the street.
(Updated at 1:20 p.m.) Alexandria firefighters responded to T.C. Williams High School around lunchtime today (Thursday) after a fire alarm sounded.
School staff members reported a smell of electrical something burning in the school around the time the alarm sounded. The school was evacuated, with many students bringing their lunches outside to eat on the lawn.
First responders can eat for free at an upcoming event in Del Ray.
Southern cuisine destination Live Oak (1603 Commonwealth Ave) is hosting a free breakfast and coffee for firefighters, police officers, and EMTs on Monday, October 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Weekend Flooding in Old Town — “There are several road closures in the old town area due to coastal flooding. The unit block of Prince Street, The Strand and Unit block of King Street High Tide are temporarily closed. Avoid the area.” [WJLA, Capital Weather Gang, Twitter, Twitter]
City Offices Closed for Holiday — Numerous Alexandria city government offices and facilities are closed today for the Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday. ALXnow will not be publishing additional news articles today, except in the event of breaking news.
New Hotel Opening in Old Town — “The New Hyatt Centric in Alexandria is accepting reservations for March 1, 2020. The hotel, at 1611 King St., will have a restaurant on site. It will have 124 rooms. The hotel will be pet-friendly and include a fitness center.” [Alexandria Living]
Local Zip Code Among State’s Priciest for Renters — “Alexandria, one of the most competitive real estate markets, is also one of the state’s priciest for renting an apartment… Alexandria’s zip code 22314 is the eighth most expensive in Virginia. The average $2,145 rent has a 3.8 percent year-over-year change.” [Patch]
A building has been evacuated in Potomac Yard after construction crews struck a large gas line.
The National Industries for the Blind building was evacuated and E. Glebe Road closed between Main Line Blvd and Potomac Avenue due to concerns about the escaping natural gas. Alexandria police and firefighters are on the scene, awaiting crews from Washington Gas to shut off the line.
Car-Free Block of King Street Planned — “Members of Alexandria’s City Council Wednesday night OK’d a proposal by City staff to begin laying the groundwork for a pilot program that will see a part of lower King Street closed to cars on weekends, beginning in April. The pilot project would close the 100 block of King Street to traffic on weekends through October.” [Alexandria Living Magazine, Patch]
For Sale: Historic House With Notorious Past — “The nonprofit organization that owns the site of one of the most notorious slave pens in the nation has put the building and its basement museum up for sale, after struggling for years to pay for the mortgage, property taxes and repairs. Freedom House, a registered National Historic Landmark in Alexandria, Va., is being advertised as an office or residential property priced at $2.1 million.” [Washington Post, WTOP]
T.C. Grad Sets Sprinting Record — “T.C. Williams High School graduate and adidas professional athlete Noah Lyles is your new IAAF World Athletics champion at 200 meters. His winning time in Doha, Qatar, was 19.83 seconds, with a reaction time of 0.168 seconds.” [MileStat]
5G Antenna Applications Streaming In — “#AlexandriaVA received 50 applications for small cell wireless facilities this year. Green dots on this map show the 43 applications that were approved. Ten were in the historic district, and the Board of Architectural Review approved three applications.” [Michael Pope/Twitter]
