Four-Alarm Fire at Edsall Road Apartment Complex Controlled, Street Closed

Update, 5:13: Chief Fire Marshal Robert Rodriguez says the firefighters' job was made more difficult by a problem with low water pressure, which forced them to declare the fire a four-alarm fire. Upgrading the fire to four alarms brought more equipment to the scene.

The fire was officially brought under control at 4:24 p.m. The American Red Cross is assisting displaced residents, Rodriguez said. Neither firefighters nor the Red Cross had been able to do damage assessment of the building as of 4:30.

A firefighter suffered an injury and was transported to a local hospital, Rodriguez said. No other injuries have been reported. 12 units were involved in the fire.

Because the fire closed part of Edsall Road, some students from Alexandria County Public Schools have had difficulty getting home. Parents can check on their students by calling this number: 703-824-6635

Story from 3:15 p.m.

A four alarm fire is raging in an Edsall apartment complex that, as of 3:15, had not yet been brought under control.

At approximately 1:44 this afternoon, the fire department received numerous calls for an apartment fire in the 6000 block of Edsall Road, said Robert Rodriguez, the chief fire marshal and public information officer for the Alexandria Fire Department.

"Units arrived on the scene to report a fire coming from the rear of the structure," he said. "The second alarm was struck shortly thereafter."

When the fire broke out in the attic, the department struck the third alarm, he said, and the fourth alarm was established around 2:30 p.m. As of then, approximately 90 firefighters were on the scene, Rodriguez said. 

"The primary search of the building did not produce any victims," Rodriguez said around 2:30 p.m. "We have one firefighter with a minor injury that’s being transported to a local hospital for evaluation.

When firefighters arrived, they noticed fire in the front of an apartment complex building, on the 2nd floor. The fire spread to the 3rd floor. Eventually, firefighters from Arlington and Fairfax Counties were called in to assist.

Rodriguez said up to 12 units in the complex have been affected. Around 3:15 p.m, firefighters had shifted from an offensive to a defensive posture on the fire. Rodriguez said the fire had not yet been brought under control.