Fairfax County fire investigators are trying to identify a woman seen lighting a trash can on fire in Tysons early Monday morning.
Authorities say the woman tried several times to start a fire in the garbage can before finally succeeding at starting a small trash fire. It happened around 3:40 a.m. outside of an office building at 8065 Leesburg Pike, near the Chef Geoff’s restaurant in Tysons.
More from the Fairfax County Fire Department:
Fire investigators are asking for the public’s help identifying a person of interest in a recent fire.
On March 11, at approximately 3:40 a.m., a woman ignited the contents of a trash can in front of 8065 Leesburg Pike in the Tysons area of Fairfax County. It took her several attempts to start the fire.
The person of interest is a female who was last seen wearing black pants, grey hooded pullover, black sneakers, carrying a large black shoulder bag, shoulder length hair and dark framed glasses.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator John Sherwood at (703) 246-4801 or [email protected].
Authorities are investigating a fatal fire in McLean.
The fire broke out Saturday at a home on the 1400 block of Brookhaven Drive. Firefighters from Fairfax County and Arlington County extinguished the blaze, but FCPD reported one fatality.
NBC 4 reported Saturday night that the deceased was an elderly woman and that an oxygen tank might have exploded during the fire.
UPDATE 1400 block of Brookhaven Drive in McLean: Fire investigators have confirmed one fatality. An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death. The investigation is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/j2RsXKA4YT
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) March 9, 2019
Thanks to our partners @ArlingtonVaFD for your assistance at the house fire in 1400 block of Brookhaven Drive in McLean. True professionals as always. Thanks also for photos in this and previous tweet. #Teamwork #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/eBwDS9Szgb
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) March 9, 2019
Map via Google Maps
https://www.facebook.com/fairfaxcountyPD/videos/813842735632372/?v=813842735632372
A helicopter, an ATV and a team of firefighters and police officers came together to rescue a man who was injured in the Scott’s Run Nature Preserve on Tuesday evening (March 5).
According to a Facebook post by the police department, when the man didn’t return home after a hike, his sister became worried as temperatures dropped.
Police said the man had broken his leg and was stuck on the hiking trail for several hours. Officers were able to keep him stable and comfortable until firefighters used an ATV to reach him and carry him out.
“Our Fairfax One team began searching and was able to quickly locate the man,” police said in the post. “They then directed our officers and the Fire and Rescue team through the rough and dark terrain to reach him.”
“We’re happy to report that, thanks to this great collaboration and quick work, his is now safe!” police said in the post.
There’s black bunting up on the Vienna Volunteer Fire Station in commemoration of George William “Bill” Ellis, a man who worked in the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for 50 years and served as chief for 20.
Ellis died last Friday (Feb. 22) at 81 in Fairfax Hospital.
He was born in D.C. in 1937 and joined the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department at 18, according to his obituary. He attained the rank of Fire Chief in 1980 and remained in that role until 2001 when he and his wife, Joan Ellis, moved to Culpeper. He was the longest serving volunteer firefighter.
There, he joined the Salem Volunteer Fire Department and continued to work as a fire truck driver until a little over a year ago.
“He represents the best of Vienna over the years,” said Vienna Town Councilmember Howard Springsteen at a meeting on Monday.
When he wasn’t volunteering at the fire department, Ellis was a cable splicing technician with C&P Telephone, hanging off of telephone poles to install and fix lines.
“Bill enjoyed tinkering with everything,” according to the obituary. “His collection of nuts, bolts, washers and various fasteners, tools and wire allowed him to create a device for almost every situation. If you were missing a small part, Bill had it or could make it. His basement in Vienna and, later, his garage in Culpeper were his domain. Only he knew where things were.”
The Salem Volunteer Fire Department will host a celebration of his life on Saturday (March 9) at 11 a.m. in their headquarters at 13428 Scotts Mill Road.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to his wife, Joan, to assist with medical and funeral expenses. Donations can also be made through PayPal by contacting Bill’s son, Robert Ellis at [email protected].
Ellis photo via Twitter, Vienna Volunteer Fire Department photo via Facebook
Feeling inspired by the Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department’s recent rescue of a fallen mule or last year’s dramatic crane rescue from a Tysons construction project?
The Citizens Fire & Rescue Academy (CFRA) is now accepting applications for Fairfax residents who want to learn more about what it’s like to be a local firefighter. The CFRA is open to persons 18 and older who live in Fairfax County
According to the Fire and Rescue website:
Each session will cover different aspects of the organization, providing an in-depth overview of the department and its uniformed and civilian workforce. Program topics include: fire suppression, emergency medical services, training, recruitment, special operations, and other interesting topics.
Applications will be accepted until March 8, with classes beginning on March 21 and ending May 9. The class is scheduled to meet for eight consecutive Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Each class is scheduled to be approximately three hours long.
There is no charge to attend. The department also emphasizes that the class will not teach you how to become a firefighter.
Photo via Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department
The younger brother of a local firefighter has gone missing in the Merrifield area, and as temperatures start to drop his family and friends are seeking public assistance to find him.
According to a Facebook post:
My younger brother (Harry) went missing this evening. He was last seen in Merrifield, Virginia around 1700 February 18th 2019, headed west on Route 50. The police are aware but we are increasingly concerned due to the low temperatures and his cell phone being turned off. If anyone has seen him or he has contacted you please reach out to me or someone in the family so that we can bring him home.
His name is Christopher Davis but he goes by “Harry.” 5’11” and 130lbs. He was wearing a white/cream bobble hat, grey/brown tweed pea coat, with a scarf, black trousers, and a pair of vans.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Fairfax County Police Department’s non-emergency number at 703-691-2131.
Photo via Facebook
There was a fire earlier this week at the 8200 block of Crestwood Heights Drive in Tysons, but even before Fairfax Fire & Rescue arrived it was doused by the building’s sprinkler system.
The fire started just after midnight in an upper-floor apartment of a 19-story high-rise building. There were no injuries and $200 in damages.
Bill Delaney, a public affairs officer for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, said fires being taken out by sprinklers before firefighters arrive is uncommon, given that sprinklers are only typical in newer high rise buildings.
“Sprinklers are mostly located in high-rise buildings, condos, apartments,” said Delaney. “Also a variety of commercial type buildings and businesses. Older types of those buildings do not have fire sprinklers as it was not a requirement at the time they were built.”
Delaney said the fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. Delaney noted that this was the sixth fire in 2019 caused by discarded cigarettes or other smoking devices. One last week caused significant damage to a home after cigarettes were thrown into the trash.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue offered a few suggestions for safely disposing of cigarettes.
- Never dispose of cigarette butts in potted planting soil. The soil, when it gets too dry, can become highly flammable.
- Never flick cigarettes into mulch or shrubbery. Dispose of them in a suitable ashtray or bucket with sand. Ensure designated outside smoking areas have an appropriate fireproof container, ashtray or bucket.
- Completely douse butts and ashes with water before throwing them away, as they can smolder and cause a fire.
- Never smoke in bed.
- Provide large, deep ashtrays with a center support for smokers. Check furniture for any dropped ashes before going to bed. Empty ashes into a fireproof container with water and sand.
- Keep smoking materials away from anything that can burn (i.e., mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, draperies, etc.).
- Never smoke in a home where oxygen is being used.
- If you smoke, choose fire-safe cigarettes. They are less likely to cause fires.
- To prevent a deadly cigarette fire, you must be alert. You won’t be if you are sleepy, have been drinking, or have taken medicine or other drugs.
- Keep matches and lighters up high, out of children’s sight and reach.
Firefighter Training in McLean Home — “[Fairfax County Fire and Rescue] units have been conducting ladder truck training exercises at a donated home, in the McLean area, that is slated for demolition.” [Twitter]
New Store Opening in Tysons Galleria — “Lafayette 148 New York has ventured into the nation’s capital, opening its first Greater Washington location this week in the Tysons Galleria shopping center. Its first freestanding boutique in the Mid-Atlantic region, the new Lafayette 148 shop measures 2,500 square feet.” [Washington Business Journal]
Silver Line Test Train Doesn’t Get Far — “The first test train on Metro’s Silver Line extension to Dulles Airport made it only 1,000 feet out of the Wiehle-Reston East station before running into trouble, sources told News4.” [NBC Washington]
Falls Church Development Includes Micro Units — “If approved by the F.C. City Council going forward [the new West End development will] include an extra 150,000 square feet in residential density, including 50,000 square feet for senior housing and 100,000 square feet for 40 or so of the first new condominiums built in the City in over a decade, and even more notable, some 150-175 ‘micro unit’ rentals.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Turmoil in Richmond, Leaders’ Future Uncertain — Under fire for each of their own controversies, resignations by Virginia’s Democratic governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general could end up triggering a special election or even elevating a Republican state lawmaker into one of the top jobs. Meanwhile, the chaos in Richmond was the lead story on the national evening news this week — twice — and made the cover of this morning’s New York Post, with the headline “Virginia is for Losers.” [Politico, Twitter]
Lee Highway Blocked — Updated at 9:05 a.m. — “Lee Highway is shut down in both directions at Kalmia Lee Court in Falls Church due to utility wires across the roadway. Please use an alternate route as you travel this morning.” [Twitter]
Longtime Local Firefighter Retires — “Today Master Technician George Hood from Station 13, Dunn Loring, B-Shift is serving the residents of Fairfax County one last time. He will be retiring after 34 years of dedicated service at the end of this shift.” [Facebook]
McLean Girl’s Struggle with Arthritis — “Last August, 2-year-old Reese Sheers began waking up, saying she was stuck and couldn’t move her arms. Then it started happening every two hours, and she couldn’t roll over or sit up in her crib. She would get better as the day went on, but the pain would become frequent enough that the family would seek medical help.” [Patch]
Author Signing Books in Tysons Tonight — Columnist Michael Tomasky will be signing copies of his new book “If We Can Keep It: How the Republic Collapsed and How it Might Be Saved,” at the Tysons Barnes & Noble store tonight. [Instagram]
Discussion of the Gender Pay Gap — “The Women of Temple Rodef Shalom (2100 Westmoreland St., Falls Church) will be hosting a comprehensive forum titled, ‘Gender Pay Gap and You’ as a part of the fifth annual Women’s Empowerment Program on Sunday, Feb. 10.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Get those smoke alarms checked, because if you’re a Vienna resident that could get you a free pizza on Thursday.
Domino’s Pizza is partnering with the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for Fire Night. On Feb. 7, anyone ordering at the Vienna Domino’s from 5-8 p.m. may have their pizza delivered in a fire engine.
According to the event description, once the delivery arrives, the firefighters will come inside and inspect the smoke detectors throughout the house. If all the smoke detectors are working, the order is free.
If any of the smoke detectors are not working, the firefighters will replace them for free, but the person who called in will be charged for the pizza.
Participation in the event is not required and is only eligible for deliveries.
Card payments are taken in advance and canceled if the order is free. Cash payment will be required if card information is not provided while placing your order if smoke detectors are not working.
Photo via Facebook
