Fire Tuesday Destroys Unit at Alexandria Apartment Building

A fire broke out at a West End Alexandria apartment building Tuesday afternoon, displacing the resident or residents of at least one unit, according to fire officials on the scene.

It was uncertain Tuesday whether the resident or residents of the burned-out fourth-floor unit were home at the time.

No injuries were reported.

City of Alexandria firefighters responded Tuesday afternoon to a 911 call at 350 S. Van Dorn St., part of the EOS-21 apartment buildings, located across the street from the Van Dorn Plaza shopping center. 

The call came in at 3:38 p.m., said Alexandria Fire Marshal Robert Rodriguez, who was on the scene. Rodriguez said he wasn't sure if the call came from a resident.

Alexandria put out a second alarm on the fire and received help from firefighters from Arlington County and Fairfax County. In all, about 60 to 75 firefighters were on the scene Tuesday afternoon as many residents were arriving home from work.

Other residents who were home at the time the fire broke out self-evacuated after hearing an alarm, Rodriguez said. At about 5 p.m., many residents who lived near the burned out unit were milling about in the parking lot waiting for an all-clear sign to return to their apartments.

The fire was put out at about 4:02 p.m., Rodriguez said.

Ladders were placed up to the top of the buildings, the fourth floor, so that firefighters could easily exit if needed while fighting the fire, Rodriguez noted.

The fire is under investigation, he said. 

A representative from the American Red Cross was on the scene to help with any residents who were displaced by the fire.

Patch will update this story when we receive new information.