Charles Barrett Elementary School in Arlandria evacuated earlier today due to smoke in the building, according to scanner traffic.
Around 11:26 a.m., the school was evacuated due to reports of smoke in the building. Around noon, the school was cleared for students to return to classes.
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.
A homeowner in Old Town said they believe a faulty battery charger may be to blame for a fire that destroyed two cars and briefly closed a portion of Pendleton Street today.
The report of the fire came in around 1 p.m. for a detached garage at 502 Pendleton Street.
There were no injuries after a building was damaged and a golf cart was destroyed by fire at Episcopal High School on Wednesday morning.
The fire was reported at around 9:30 a.m. and extinguished about 10 minutes later, according to dispatch reports. No one was injured.
A smoking heating and air system has closed Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar at 111 King Street for the foreseeable future, the restaurant owner told ALXnow.
Owner Bartolo Paz said that smoke came out of the furnace this afternoon after it was turned on by restaurant staff, that no one was hurt, and that there is minimal damage.
The Alexandria Fire Department (AFD) said a massive fire earlier this month on Wheeler Lane caused an estimated $5 million in damages.
In a release, AFD said the fire was “accidental and electrical in nature”. The fire caused $1.5 million in structural damage with an estimated $3.5 million in damage to the contents of the businesses in those buildings.
An inferno at a commercial warehouse on 4407 Wheeler Avenue Tuesday night could have a ripple effect on local seniors.
The fire, which was reported at 9:20 p.m., raged for hours and spread across three buildings. Over 1000 firefighters were called in from multiple jurisdictions and one firefighter sustained minor injuries.
(Updated 12:15 a.m.) A three-alarm fire sent plumes of smoke up into the skies above Wheeler Avenue earlier this evening.
The 4000-4400 blocks of the street burned earlier this evening, but by 11 p.m. the fire had been contained.
(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) With emergency medical incidents taking up nearly 75% of calls for service, the Alexandria Fire Department (AFD) is planning to redeploy some of its resources, Fire Chief Corey Smedley tells ALXnow.
Smedley’s AFD Forward plan is still being ironed out, but the gist is that by the first quarter of 2024 the department’s fire engines will get reduced from nine to seven and increasing smaller Emergency Medical transport units staffed by firefighters/emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
First days back at school are always bumpy, but Alexandria City High School had a particularly rough start with an evacuation first thing in the morning.
Fortunately, the evacuation didn’t last long, but students and staff were outside of the building for around 25 minutes on their first day.
With Independence Day around the corner, the Alexandria Fire Department sent out a reminder this week that fireworks are illegal.
That means sparklers, novelty items and fireworks are prohibited in Alexandria, even though they are legal in neighboring Arlington and Fairfax Counties. Using fireworks in the city is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and/or a $2,500 fine.
