Barcroft neighborhood house burned
and torn down four months later.

Still a hole in the ground after seven months!

The fire was expertly extinguished, but some residents asked why the ACFD would continue to burn houses in neighborhoods for TV shows or for training when the billowing clouds of smoke are now known to contain toxics. The presence of asbestos siding on the house indicates that the Fire Department did not follow the National Fire Protection Association's widely accepted NFPA 1403 standard for burning houses for training. That standard requires asbestos abatement prior to the firing of a house.

The smoke entered into nearby houses, including some with small children. The house remains a burned out, boarded up hulk, still smelling of smoke and no credit to 8th Street. The developer was not required to give a firm date for removing it, or obtain a permit prior to the burn. Some states and localities require an air quality permit before a fire department burns a house, but Virginia and Arlington do not. Notification to the neighbors came in the form of a flyer that most received when they came home from work the day before the fire. There was no notification to the greater neighborhood. Similar burnings in other parts of Arlington have reportedly caused protests.

On November 4 the BSCL adopted this resolution requesting Arlington County to rescind the policy that permits the fire department to burn houses in residential neighborhoods. The Arlington Now blog responded right away on November 5th. Channel 4 picked it up for the 11 O'Clock News on November 8. Although the caption says we are "furious" in an attempt to punch it up, Bryant Monroe and Scott Brinitzer gave very calm and reasonable interviews. The next night Channel 9 had more coverage on the 11 O'Clock News, titling it "Arlington Fire Department Ignites Fire And Controversy." Again Scott explained the impact on the neighborhood. They did not mention Channel 9's role.

Below are the photos of what was left after the Fire Department rolled away.

Side view

Glass shards

Kid trap

How many asbestos fibers in this charred pile?

Boarded up by running drywall screws into asbestos cement shingles, bringing loose asbestos fibers out to the surface.

Oops, missed a window.

Damaged asbestos cement shingles.

Charred paint -- with lead? Charred fibers.

The house was wrecked four months later, on February 15, 2011. Although still covered with asbestos-cement siding, there was no attempt at asbestos abatement, and the wrecking machine broke up the siding, releasing asbestos fibers into our air.

Neighbors called the Department of Environmental Services, who said they would investigate. Here is the response from the County:

I am responding on behalf of Mr. Christopher Zimmerman, Arlington County Board Chairman, to the concerns you expressed in the emails below. Chairman Zimmerman had asked the County Manager's Offfice to look into this matter and follow up with you directly.

Construction, repair, alteration, and demolition of buildings are regulated by Virginia Uniform Statewide Building (USBC). While USBC requires asbestos abatements for certain buildings prior to demolition and/or alteration, it specifically exempts single-family dwellings from this requirement. A permit was obtained prior to the demolition of this property.

If you have additional questions or would like to discuss this matter further, I encourage you to contact the County's Chief Building Official, Mr. Shahriar Amiri, at (703) 228-3848 or by email (samiri@arlingtonva.us). He was kind enough to provide us the information above and will be able to best answer your questions. Please feel free to share this information with your neighbors and other members of the listserv.

Best regards,

*Laiza N. Otero*
Constituent Services Manager
Office of the County Manager
2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 302
Arlington, Virginia 22201
Tel. (703) 228-3115
Fax (703) 228-3218
lotero@arlingtonva.us www.arlingtonva.us

As of June 20, 2011, the lot remains seemingly abandoned, with a large hole excavated for a basement. It has been a health hazard, eyesore and child hazard for seven months. County records show that the hole is owned by Eyremount Investment Group, 5765-F Burke Center Pkwy #223, Burke, VA 22015, phone 703-312-9486.

At the June 7 meeting of the Arlington County Civic Federation, Joseph Reshetar, Assistant Chief, Arlington County Fire Department, stated that the Department has reviewed their policy on burning houses in light of the Barcroft protest and has made "significant changes."

This page was revised on: June 20, 2011.