Annandale units were dispatched for a building ire in the heart of Annandale. E408 immediately requested an RIT as the fire was evident from the apron of the firehouse. E408 arrived to heavy smoke showing and smoke within a building. Crews went to work trying to determine the seat of the fire, which appeared to be most heavily concentrated in the kitchen of the Bon Chon Restaurant on Columbia Pike. Units entered the adjacent exposures and found smoke conditions there as well. Evacuation tones were struck so units could regroup. Crews mounted another attack with limited success. Command once again ordered everyone out to transition to a defensive attack. Four master streams were put into operation, but again the fire could not be fully knocked down. The HazMat Team was dispatched to deploy their drones to help with recon, and FFX1 also helped with aerial footage for a short time. It was eventually discovered that the fire was gas fed from a location deep in the center of the complex, but a Washington Gas rep was unable to shut it off. Eventually, the fire was brought under control more than two hours into the event. In the end, all occupancies were essentially destroyed.
– Submitted by Andrew Pang
