Evening star., 1951-11-24
Rash Of Fires
Burns Buildings
in Area
40 Dogs Smother;
Maryland Farm
Structures leveIed

Fires in the Washington area
yesterday destroyed a metal
cleaning shed, burned out Is
acres of brush, demolished four
farm buildings in Southern Mary
land and smothered 40 Chihuahua
dogs.
Damage in the four fires to-
tailed more than $4,000.
The cleaning shed burned to the
ground at the Briggs Filtration
Co., at River road and the Balti-
more g. Ohio Railroad tracks in
Bethesda. The 60-by-150-foot
frame shed was used to clean
metals for filters. A quantity of
steel was stored in it.
The fire was discovered about
4 pm. and was confined by
the Bethesda and Chevy Chase
Fire Departments Smoke could
be seen 2 miles away. Unofficial
estimates place the loss between
$3.50 and $4,000.
The brush fire occurred on land
owned by the Bureau of Public
Roads about a half mile west of
the Mount Vernon Open Air
Theater on Route / In Fairfax
County.
10 Homes Threatened.
About 10 homes were threatened
by the brush blaze, which was
discovered about / pm. The
homes were saved by a shift in
the wind and by rs firemen and
30 soldiers who fought the fire.
The f1remen were from the Fran
coma. Mount Vernon and Penn
Daw Volunteer Fire Departments
and the soldiers came from Fort
Belvoir.
Much Of the credit for combining
the brush fire to about Is acres
on which there was no valuable
tlmDer nor any buildings, was
given to Officer Paul Dove of the
Fairfax County Police Depart
ment.
| When f1remen found they could
not reach the blaze and were not
certain what area it covered, Mr.,
love went up in his private plane
and spotted the fire for the fire-
nghters. Mr.. Dove has used the
plane in the past to help police
spot illegal whisky stills.
40 Dogs Die in Blaze.
The 40 Chihuahua dogs smoth-
cred to death when a kennel
caught fire in Franconia, Va west
Iof Alexandria. last night, Sparks
from a pile of burning leaves ig-
nlted the kennel. which was owned
by Mr.. and Mrs. John j. Brown
Iof Valley View drive.
Mr.. and Mrs. Brown estimated
the building was worth about
$4,000. 'ou'
The Franconia and Annandale
flre departments extinguished the
blaze. ~
-Four buildings filled with crops
and machinery were leveled YES
terday on the farm of Walter A.
Jameson. ST., about 2 miles south
OF Hughesville, Md. Damages
were estimated at $4,000.
A visitor from Washington
David A. CARRIER. an employe of
the Willard Hotel, discovered the
nre IN the stable about 2 pm. as
ne walked in a field near the
Jameson home. He led four horses
and four cows out a stable lust
ahead OF the flames and then
drove out four tractors, one with
a tire ablaze. firemen said.
Mr.. CARRIER was visiting Ken
netn A. Jameson, a relative of the
owner and one of two tenants on
the farm.
Volunteers Answer Call.
BY the time flremen from the
Hughesville, Mechanicsyille La
rata and Waldorf volunteer fire
departments arrived, the blaze was
out OF control and had spread to
the other outbuildings. It burned
itself out.
There were a rash of brush fires
throughout the area, but rain last
night and this morning virtually
eliminated this hazard. About
Is brush fires were reported in the
District alone. but none was seri-
Gus.
Near Buena Vista. in Western
virginia, flames attacked a por-
ton of the George Washington
National Forest in Rockbridpe
County. It took 70 firefiehters
four and a half hours to bring
the fire under control.
Forty acres of woodland were
scorched in Henrico County. near
Richmond, when a brush fire got
out OF control. Altogether some
80 fires plagued the fire depart
ments in the Richmond Chester
field-Henrico area.