News and notes from Reston (tm).

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Winterport Townhouse Fire Injures Firefighters, Caused by Improperly Discarded Fireplace Ashes

Screen shot 2010-03-06 at 1.24.15 PM.jpgA Thursday morning fire in Winterport cluster in South Reston injured a firefighter and caused $180,000 in damages.

A fire in a Reston-area townhouse caused $180,000 damage after someone improperly discarded fireplace ashes Thursday.
And, a firefighter was hurt when ceiling drywall fell on him as he battled the blaze in the 1900 block of Winterport Cluster. His injuries are not life-threatening.

The two people who lived in the home managed to get out safely and are being assisted by the Red Cross.

When firefighters got on the scene, they found the rear of the two-story townhouse and deck on fire. The fire quickly spread to the attic and roof, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue says.

The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes.

Posted by Restonian at 1:26 PM

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32 comments:

  1. gotta watch those fireplace embers. Could of been lethal.

    I got a few emails from citizen voters concerned about 1.)group homes which is no fun to live next to like I did until they went broke and left the cul de sac and 2 the cost of the annual dues- I hope to beg the board if elected to please please please lower the dues. It's hurting some. None of the other candidates have considered this.

    I've tried to convince the large email group Kate Fulkerson slammed Rengin Morro and me to that it's wrong for a trusted person to slam citizen candidates. Go to my website for more on this if interested.

    I sent in my ballot Friday by mail. The RA unlike the Federal government dose not publish a list of voters so no way to really verify. I think the on line is safe but with paper there is a trail and something to be counted.
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  2. Yes, the RA does should be lowered substantially.

    Start by firing matthews and putting his quarter-million dollar compensation package back into the hands of the assessment-payers.

    Next go the faces of smyers all over everything and the unwanted glossy "magazine."

    Hundreds of magazines are going out of business or to an on-line only version, but not here in the land of the wasteful RA!

    And you can take the million-dollar website with you smyers -- it's junk and doesn't work.
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  3. What do you mean the RA does should be lowered subsntantially? If we do that, won't the RA bucks be lonely?
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  4. Nice one Convict!
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  5. Peasant From Less Sought After South RestonMar 6, 2010 03:26 PM
    Glad the townhouse residents got out of the fire OK, and here's wishing our injured firefighter a quick recovery.

    And yes, listen to Rod when it comes to fire safety -- after all, he does live on Embers Court!
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  6. Is it just me or does a candidate's attention to grammar and spelling (i.e., details) make a difference with how you vote?
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  7. Right there with you Pigeon.
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  8. Yep, Le Pigeon, I know what you mean. That alone wouldn't push me one way or another, but when you add it to lots of other stuff, the aggregate starts to weigh things down a bit...
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  9. Okay, cool. I was wondering if I was alone or not. I know it has been an awkward thing to bring up.
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  10. Who gives a crap about spelling and grammar? After all, the overpaid RA "staff" do the writing..it's about candidates' LISTENING skills and doing what the members suggest is what matters.

    Dues, does, there are too many of them in Reston!

    Lower the DUES and purge the DOES!
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  11. Isn't it more about listening to what the dues-payers want rather than how well someone writes?

    The RA has lots of staff who should do the writing and pontificating; the RA directors should be reining in the dues (and the does for that matter), and focusing on running a homeowners' association, not a city and trying to build things we don't want or need.

    While it's a shame there was a minor typo, we all got the message and let's focus on what's important rather than being pedantic.
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  12. To Anoynymous 4:36:

    The new RA magazine actually is saving RA members' in publications costs. After research in how to save money, staff proposed to produce only one quarterly publication, combining the information in the A-Z Guide (3 times a year, glossy and positively received) along with the Reston Resource (which was printed quarterly), which used to be published by the Times, but had to come in house when they decided not to print for us. I am proud that the new magazine is the definitive publication for RA, as demanded by the membership. It is available on-line, as well, and again we are saving money with consolidating printing and obtaining advertising.

    Information has to get out to the community and we try different ways to reach as many as we can.

    Regarding the website, I would be happy to talk to you about what you think is wrong/bad/not working. We do want it to be useful tool and are always trying to improve on it. If you have concerns, please let us know.
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  13. But thank god that I'm almost finished with you fools. Once my term is up, I'm out of here.
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  14. Somehow I don't think the second comment from Robin is really from her. I have been unhappy with her approach but I have to admit that in the face of vicious personal attacks she has been very gracious.
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  15. Oh my yes, I agree with Anon 2:22 I don't believe that the 2nd comment is from the real Robin Smyers.

    I have a different question. Why do you all (readers), allow Rod to drive the discussion of every posting so far off topic? Rod it really makes it difficult to discuss the article that was posted. Perhaps you could confine your comments to topic?
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  16. Thank you Anon 2:22 and 6:19...
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  17. Robin who had never before proviously replied to my any of my previous emails to her in the past on Reston concerns suddenly wrote me:

    Our staff are some of the most
    > professional, knowledgeable, and ethical people I have ever
    > had the honor to serve with, and you owe
    >
    > Cate and Milton a public apology. You are the one who has
    > shared the names for the public to see who was in error, and
    > you are the one who has put it out to
    >
    > a list of people who didn't need to know. The email she
    > sent was fair, private to all of the candidates, and should
    > have stayed that way.
    >
    >
    >
    > I will ask you again, more directly. Unless you are
    > contacting me requesting an answer from RA, take me off your
    > mailing list. I am not interested in your rants,
    >
    > unless you are specifically asking me as president to
    > address your concerns.
    >
    >
    >
    > Robin


    Milton Mathews sent out emails virtually endorsing three canidates in three seperate races. If they win there will for ever be a question about the validity of the election. Milton has caused a rip on the fabric which our Reston Association is founded on, a fair election of canididates. Cate Fulkerson who also has a position of trust has sent out a email to numerous people slamming Rengin Morro and my self two Citizen Canididates.I only replied to those names adding only the press. And for this Robin says I should apoliogize???!!!

    Based on (1.)the new RA website which now strives to be interactive to minimize my campaign goals of two way communication. With out my candidachy there never would be any attempt for the RA to now try to be slightly interactive.

    (2.)The overwhelming response citizens conveyed to me on the campaign trail all over Reston today based on their reading of my campaign goans on the ballot

    (3.)Their desperate atempts in sending out the emails in the first place

    (4.) Robin posting here at all, when she never did previously to my knowledge


    I heartly say I've got the RA on the run! Victory is within sight! -Rod Koozmin canididate for the at large seat
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  18. I'm sure you're a nice, salt-of-the-earth person in real life, Rod, but your posts come off as aberrant, at least, and they're probably not serving your goals very well at all. Just an opinion.
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  19. As a software engineer, I must admit that the RA website exceeds my expectations.
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  20. Yes, the RA website looks good, and it's impossible to find anything.
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  21. Are we aloud to not hate Robin Smyers and RA on this board?
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  22. 8:14 - You are allowed to hate anyone on this board that you want. You are not allowed to talk about the townhouse fire or injured fireman.
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  23. Oops...I must have been wondering if I would be allowed to speak aloud...how embarrassing! Maybe I'll just go back to being silent!
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  24. It is unfortunate that a few (maybe one?!) person(s) will post such mean spirited messages and personal attacks. The issues coming in the next few years regarding density, development, traffic, open spaces etc are real and important. I certainly have disagreed with Robin and board members this past year but personal attacks are out of line. And I agree with a divdem what a strange thread for this post which really should have been out the fireman.
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  25. "Out the firemen?" What happened to don't-ask-don't-tell?
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  26. ha! sorry for my rod-o...should have said "about".
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  27. Rod

    Went to your site and read the information you're upset about on here. That e-mail Cate sent out only went to the candidates and didn't mention any names. The e-mail basically said don't campaign in RA programs other than at regular public meetings. Like a "hey guys, just so we're clear" sorta thing.

    Yet you post all this other information on you and Morro along with the e-mail to let the public know that there was some sort of incident that may or may have not occurred and hey - you want to take it personally. Did Morro tell you "I'd like you to blast my name in regards to this incident all over your blog"?

    If you did get elected to the board would you spend time trying to work for Reston or would you spend it being defensive about everything that happens and everything everyone else says?
    I know a lot of people want to see some of RA's staff members go, but you're going to have to work with at least some of them. (Also Robin definitely posted on here prior to this RA election.)


    Now back to what the Restonian's blog post was originally about before Rod took off and ran with his own agenda:
    I hope the firefighter is doing ok. Glad whoever was living there got out safe.
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  28. Hey Rod? Why all the windshield litter at North Point parking lot Monday afternoon? I ran away in fear of being accosted in the parking lot by you!
    Rod to Anonymous: "... do you live in Reston?...."
    Anonymous to Rod: "... no..."
    I then realized it was you. FYI the internet adds weight - - Rod - in person you are much more slim than your Restonian weblog avatar. Cheers -Anonymous
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  29. stop apologizing for smyers and her endless rationalizations.

    Do 9000 dues-payers need a million-dollar website?

    Of course not. Especially since it's impossible to find anything on your million-dollar white elephants, the important details are always hidden and masked (just like symers' abuse of executive session and failure to properly even call or move to convene in executive session -- a violation of law), and the website has your likeness all over it -- especially on the home page.

    If nothing else, get your face off the website -- no meeting needed for that -- you are NOT the face of Reston and it disgusts me beyond belief that you use that resource to boost your own self image.

    No talking or meeting will recover those million dollars, so get your head out of the sand and admit that you screwed up, you hired, and then protected, incompetent "staff" and you have done nothing to better this community.

    All that nonsense about a magazine "saving" money. If your million-dollar website is so all encompassing, why do you need to kill trees and spend RA dues on printed matter? If that's not the face of hypocrite, we know not what is!

    As even obama said--and you are no obama, smyers -- the election is over! Your days are numbered, thank God, and soon you will sell your townhouse and be gone. If you hadn't jacked my RA assessment up do high, I'd make an offer on your house just to get you out of here even faster.

    Your legacy is a shameful one; good riddance to you!
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  30. Holy rabid woodchucks, Batman, that's a rant!
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  31. Yeah, Pigeon. That's right up there with the "snake eating the rat" rant during the final Tribal Council on Survivor.
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  32. I walked past that house at Winterport the day after the fire and my heart sank to see the destruction. Those firefighters are TRUE HEROS for extinguishing the fire as quickly as they did. I commend them for their selfless service to the community!
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