Thursday, May 16, 2013
Natural gas heater in the living room ruled the cause of the blaze that destroyed the single level home.
Investigators say a wall-mounted natural gas heater caused a fire in the living room of a home where a hearing-impared mother and daughter died in January, according to new information from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Firefighters were called to the single family home in the 3100 block of Manor Rd. around 3:20 a.m. on Jan. 23. In January, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue spokesman Capt. William Moreland said the home was fully engulfed when they arrived. Laura Snyder-Gardner was a faculty member at Gallaudet University and her daughter, Mary Ann, was a junior student at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. A memorial was held for the mother and daughter at Gallaudet and a scholarship was set up in their names. …
Monday, May 13, 2013
The driver of the car sustained minor injuries. No one was home at the time of the incident.
The driver of a small car escaped with minor injuries after she drove her vehicle through the front of a home in the 2800 block of Great Oak Court in Falls Church Monday. Fairfax County Police are investigating why the woman drove her car into the home. Around 11 a.m., Fairfax County Fire and Rescue were called to the empty home and when they arrived, they found the blue four-door car sitting partially inside the home, said Capt. William Moreland. The driver of the car, a visibly shaken woman with bruises to her face, refused to comment on the crash. Neighbors watching a tow truck remove the vehicle from the home also declined to comment on the crash. Moreland said a building inspector would look over the home to decide if it is safe for …
Saturday, April 13, 2013
The lack of merit increases makes life harder for the department’s new talent, employees said Thursday night.
Fairfax County public safety employees advocated for better pay on Thursday during the final public hearing on the county’s fiscal year 2014 budget. County Executive Ed Long’s budget proposal does not include pay increases for county employees, nor does it fund merit increases for public safety employees. Earlier in the week, county employees made their dissatisfaction heard. On Thursday night, police officers and firefighters joined them. Chris Cochrane, president of the Fairfax Coalition of Police and a 25-year veteran of the force, said police had been happy to find merit increases restored in last year’s budget. But many were surprised and angered to find that they had been halted once again this year. “It is tough to consider that …
Friday, March 29, 2013
Malfunctioning microwave sparked apartment fire, caused $100,000 in damages.
A malfunctioning microwave sparked a fire Thursday night in Falls Church that displaced 19 people and caused $100,000 in damages. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials said the fire started in an apartment atop the four story building in the 3400 block of Carlyn Hill Dr. at about 7:35 p.m. About 60 firefighters battled the two-alarm blaze for 30 minutes before getting it under control. One firefighter sustained non-life threatening injuries while battling the blaze. The two people in the apartment where the blaze started, along with 17 other people from seven other units were displaced. The American Red Cross is assisting those displaced, according to a release. One firefighter sustained a non-life threatening injury while fighting the …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
No one injured in fire that disabled snowplow.
No one was injured in a fire that gutted a snowplow in Falls Church Wednesday. Captain William Moreland, spokesman for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, said firefighters were called to a car fire in the 7200 block of Arlington Blvd. at 5:25 a.m. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Joan Morris, spokeswoman for VDOT, said the privately owned truck was not contracted out by the organization. Dozens of onlookers drove by the burned out snowplow Wednesday morning to get a glimpse and take pictures. “I hope everyone got out safely,” said Miguel Santos, of Falls Church, who stopped to take a picture of the truck that's still in the parking lot of Loehmann's Plaza. Fairfax County Police didn’t know who the vehicle was registered to. For more …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Richard Bowers Jr. is currently fire chief of Montgomery County, Md.
Richard Bowers Jr. will be Fairfax County's new fire chief. Bowers will leave his current position as fire chief in Montgomery County, Md., which he has held since 2008. He has served in the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service for more than 35 years. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved his appointment Tuesday afternoon. Bowers take over for Ronald Mastin, who plans to retire from the Fairfax County Fire Department on May 7. Bowers’ appointment is effective April 29. After his appointment, Bowers told Patch one of his priorities would be community outreach and fire prevention. “I think the most important thing is that I’m their fire chief,” he said, referring to Fairfax County residents. “We’re going to use every …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is offering a citizens academy for the first time. Applications are being accepted through Feb. 18.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is offering its first ever Citizens Fire & Rescue Academy. Residents ages 18 and older can apply to learn about fire suppression, emergency medical services, training, special operations and more. The academy begins March 28 and classes will run from 6 to 9 p.m. weekly Thursday evenings for nine weeks at various locations in Fairfax County. Applications are open through Feb. 18, and the class size is limited to 25 people. Apply for the Fairfax County Citizens Fire & Rescue Academy here.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Snow hits the area and a local hardware store was prepared with necessities.
Patch covered the 57th Presidential Inauguration Monday with stories and photo galleries. Police news and school news mostly grabbed the headlines in Falls Church last week. A house fire in Falls Church killed a mother and daughter early Wednesday morning. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue are investigating the blaze that destroyed the ranch-style home but the cause of the fire has not been determined. A pit bull that attacked an adult after school hours on the playground at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School is in quarantine in the City of Falls Church. Police say the dog’s owner is facing charges. City of Falls Church Police are still looking for a man who reportedly stole more than $2,000 from a business in broad daylight and fled on foot…
Friday, January 25, 2013
Mary Ann Gardner and her mother were killed in a fire inside their Falls Church home Wednesday morning.
Mary Ann Gardner has been identified as the second victim of a Falls Church house fire that also killed her mother, Laura Snyder-Gardner, early Wednesday morning. Kaitlin Luna, a spokeswoman at Gallaudet University, confirmed the second victim’s identity Friday evening. Luna said Gardner was a junior student at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. Snyder-Gardner was a faculty member at Gallaudet. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue identified Snyder-Gardner Thursday. The fire is still under investigation and no cause for the fire has been determined. A memorial for the mother and daughter will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Elstad Auditorium at Gallaudet, Luna said. The family has requested people attending the service wear pink and yellow …
First of two women killed in an early morning fire identified as a faculty member at Gallaudet University.
Laura Snyder-Gardner, 48, one of two victims killed in a house fire in Falls Church, had been a full-time faculty at Gallaudet University since January 2009. Gardner was identified by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue on Thursday. Kaitlin Luna, a spokeswoman at the university for the hard of hearing in Washington, D.C., said Gardner served as an assistant coach of the girl’s soccer team at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. Before coming to Gallaudet, Gardner taught at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in Saint Augustine, Fla. from 1998 through 2008. A second woman who was killed in the fire has not been identified by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. Firefighters responded to a home in the 3100 block of Manor Rd. in Falls Church…
Mr. Bill
8:26 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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