On February 14 at 11:20 a.m., units from the City of Alexandria and Arlington County Fire Departments responded to a report of a house fire at 3817 Charles Avenue, located in the Arlandria section of the City of Alexandria. Units arrived on the scene and reported smoke showing from a third floor end townhouse unit. The resident was outside of the home when units arrived and reported no other persons within the structure. The fire was immediately extinguished by the responding fire units. The fire was contained to the master bedroom with no extension to other parts of the home. The townhouse sustained smoke and water damage.
The resident was assessed by advanced life support personnel on the scene for a non-fire related emergency, but refused transport. The resident also turned down sheltering assistance; therefore Red Cross was not requested. No firefighters or civilians were injured during this incident.
The timeliness of the response and the quick mitigation of this incident were directly related to three factors: the fire trucks had clear and unhampered access to the address; the secondary hydrant was clear of snow and accessible to emergency crews; and increased staffing on Alexandria units from three to four firefighters allowed fire crews to quickly extinguish the fire despite the severe environmental conditions. The cause of the fire and extent of damage are still under investigation by the City of Alexandria Fire Marshal’s office.
For more information, contact Tony Castrilli, Director of Communications, at 703.888.7166 or e-mail tony.castrilli@alexandriava.gov.