Overview

• On July 24 in Arlington’s Crystal City neighborhood, a passenger vehicle’s ruptured fuel tank triggered a BLEVE that engulfed a parking lot in flames.
• Arlington Fire & EMS crews arrived within minutes and fully extinguished the blaze without injuries to residents or emergency personnel.
• The explosion scorched at least three nearby vehicles and was widely circulated in dramatic camera footage by local and national outlets.
• Fire Marshals have classified the incident as non-suspicious and opened a probe into the underlying mechanical failure of the fuel tank.
• Officials reminded the public to stay clear of vehicle fires and to defer firefighting efforts to trained professionals.