Arlington Police, Fire Investigate American Flag And Political Sign Burnings At Homes

ARLINGTON, VA — Two American flags, along with a political sign, were set on fire in North Arlington Wednesday night, about two weeks after a flag hanging from a porch was set on fire in South Arlington.

One flag was burned that was hanging from a home in the Yorktown neighborhood near the corner of Yorktown Blvd. and N. George Mason Drive. The other flag hanging from a home was burned in the 3300 block of N. Brandywine Street in the Rock Spring neighborhood.

Only blocks away, in the 3300 block of N. George Mason Drive, a family found their “Keep Virginia Blue” Democratic Party political sign had been burned to the ground early Thursday, The Washington Post reported.

At about 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Arlington County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Office and the Arlington County Police Department responded to the 5000 block of Yorktown Blvd. for an American flag on fire that was hanging from a home. The fire marshal and a police officer interviewed the resident who was initially notified of the fire from a passerby, according to the fire department.

The passerby extinguished the fire with a garden hose, but did not remain on the scene. Authorities were unable to get a suspect description of the suspect during their investigation.

On Thursday, the residents of the home on N. Brandywine Street filed an online police report for vandalism. In the report, the homeowners said on Thursday morning, they discovered their American flag and flag pole had been burned overnight. There is no suspect description, the fire department said.

SEE ALSO: Flag Burning In Arlington Heights Under Investigation By Police

No injuries or damage to the houses where the flags and sign were set on fire were reported.

Among the recent flag burnings in Arlington, the first was reported on Oct. 15 in the 3200 block of S. 6th Street in the Westmont area.

At about 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 15, Arlington County police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person in the area. Upon arrival, it was determined that about 20 minutes earlier, a suspect approached an American flag on the resident’s porch and set it on fire, the police said.

A witness saw the flag on fire and extinguished it. The suspect is described as a white man, 18 to 30 years old, wearing a dark-hooded windbreaker, jeans, white sneakers and carrying a backpack, the Arlington County police said.

As part of a joint investigation, the Arlington County police and fire departments are working to determine if the incidents are linked, Arlington County Fire Lt. Nate Hiner said in a statement emailed to Patch.

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to contact the Arlington County Police tip line at 703-228-4180 or ACPDTipline@arlingtonva.us. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).