Residents and visitors to Washington were left scared after seeing a cloud of black smoke billow over the Lincoln Memorial on Friday morning.
Heavy black smoke over the National Mall came from a burning vehicle five miles away in Arlington, Virginia.
Arlington Fire Department officials said the fire was started by a pickup truck that caught fire on the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
The fire has caused a significant delay for commuters and there are no reports of injuries as a result of the fire.
I WAIT:
Black smoke was spotted at the Lincoln Memorial pic.twitter.com/cIX1rBfVYY
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) March 15, 2024
For Volpe 5 CD:
Smoke from a vehicle fire in Virginia caused a stir around Washington, D.C. Friday morning after the plume from the crash appeared to loom over the National Mall.
From some vantage points, a mix of dark black and light white smoke appeared to be coming from an area near the Lincoln Memorial and rising above it.
The haze was actually the result of a car fire in the Arlington area, about five miles away from the monument.
Arlington Fire & EMS said the fire involved a pickup truck and trailer along the southbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway past I-66 and before the Key Bridge.
CLOCK:
BREAKING: “Suspicious packages” were reported to law enforcement this morning near the National Mall.
Black smoke was spotted at the Lincoln Memorial in Washingtonpic.twitter.com/GK6GbXQZLg
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) March 15, 2024
This isn’t the first time smoking has caused concern in the nation’s capital.
In July last year, heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed DC, causing air quality warnings.
Health officials in Washington, D.C., have issued a code red alert on air quality, saying conditions will be “unhealthy for people with heart/lung disease, older adults, children and adolescents.” https://t.co/soLx4Tal7Z
: Vinci McNamee/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/icYc3Gairo
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 7, 2023