Dog Dies In Apartment Fire Near Fort Myer

ARLINGTON, VA — Units from both the Arlington County Fire & Rescue Department and Fort Myer Fire & Emergency Services responded to a Thursday morning apartment fire in the Penrose neighborhood. No injuries were reported but a pet dog died in the fire.

Units were dispatched at 9:46 a.m. to the report of an apartment fire in the 2000 block of 4th Street S.

"Because that address is actually just outside Fort Myer, their fire department was actually the first ones on the scene, so we run mutual aid with them," said Capt. Justin Tirelli, a public information officer with ACFD. "They arrived and found fire in one of the apartments. They had a report that all occupants were out of the apartment. They went in and extinguished the fire."

After conducting a search, firefighters found no one in the apartment except for the occupants' pets — a dog, some rats and a tarantula. Firefighters removed the animals from the building.

"It was the dog that was found unconscious and not breathing," Tirelli said."We provided CPR, but the pet was pronounced deceased at the scene." The other animals survived.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

#BREAKING - 4000 Blk 4th St South. Apartment Fire, occupants out. Units still working so please stay clear. pic.twitter.com/S3iyvAdTcD
— Arlington Fire (@ArlingtonVaFD) April 2, 2020