Two hangars, ice rink and church among structures that have collapsed. Fires also keep DC area crews busy. More snow coverage, video & radio traffic.
Click here for an interview with an MWAA spokesman about the collapse at Dulles.
Watch live coverage from WUSA9.com
Learn more about the deadly collapse from the historic Washington snow of 1922
Send us your fire & EMS snow videos and pictures
Preliminary snow totals
Some live scanner feeds from the region: DC Fire & EMS, PGFD, Montgomery County, Anne Arundel County, Frederick County, MD
We hope to have more details later today on what sounded like a frustrating incident in Fairfax County last night. A house burned in Great Falls and the snow greatly prevented access to the scene. (Also, don’t forget to check the player to the right for the latest videos from WUSA9.com.)
Earlier in the day, I watched a relatively minor version of the same problem. Two trees in front of my house were smoking, thanks to the top of a utility pole and a tangle of power lines that were down in the street just to one side of my driveway. I still had power, as did most of my neighbors, but the service to my house was looking none to good with the line draping down from the meter and across our snow covered lawn to the street.
Not having the scanner with me (what kind of reporter is that?) I figured the half-hour or so delay after calling 911 was just from a back-up of higher priority calls. It turns out Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Engine 418 was dispatched immediately. It just took them a few tries to get into the neighborhood. Before long Capt. Michael Istvan and his crew were trudging down my street, wisely leaving the engine at the top of the hill.
They did exactly what I expected them to do and taped off the area so no one got zapped. While they were doing that we heard a little sizzle and a loud pop and that was the end of the power for most of the street (tree stopped burning too, imagine that). So far my natural gas fed generator is powering things well and we have become the most popular family in the neighborhood. I am guessing it will be a few days before the lines are restrung. This also means that we won’t likely see a snow plow on our street for a while.
The firefighters from Station 418 had been dispatched to a call around 8:00 AM that sounded a bit more exciting than the 911 response I generated. They were headed to Dulles International Airport where a hangar had collapsed due to the weight of the snow.
No one was hurt, but it sounds like some private jets took a beating. There is video and an interview above, and radio traffic from the incident below.
Click here for Part 2 of the radio traffic from FireSceneAudio.com.
There was also a collapse of a hangar at Manassas Regional Airport around 1:30 PM. City of Manassas Fire & Rescue Department Chief Fire Marshal Francis Teevan describes it as a 24,000 square foot hangar owned by Dulles Aviation, Inc.
Another major collapse was at the Prince William Ice Center in Dale City, Virginia. Here’s an excerpt from InsideNova.com (where you will also find a picture):
The building at 5180 Dale Blvd. is a total loss, owner Bill Hutzler said. Skaters practicing inside had been evacuated before the collapse and no one was injured.
“We had some speed skaters on the ice this morning, then a beam on ceiling started to twist and … we got everybody out,“ said Hutzler, who bought the rink in March 2008. The rink was built in 1996.
A hazardous materials team was called to the scene due to high amounts of ammonia in the building, which is used to keep the ice fresh.
In the District of Columbia a tree limb and the weight of the snow brought down the 100-year-old Joshua Temple Church in Northeast. Again, no one was hurt.
Also in DC, Rescue Squad 3 was involved in another rescue when they arrived first to a house fire at 1314 T Street, Southeast. You can click here for the fireground audio (hope to have more from this one later).
The DC Fire & EMS Department handled more than twice its normal number of calls yesterday because of snow related issues.
