<sh>House Fire Displaces Family
<bt>Fairfax County firefighters responded to a house fire on the 1400 block of Claves Court on Dec. 9, at approximately 1:20 p.m.
Units from Vienna Station 2, Tysons Station 29, North Point Station 39, Great Falls Station 12, Reston Station 25, McLean Station 1 and Merrifield Station 30 were able to get the single-family home fire under control in about 20 minutes.
Fire investigators determined that the fire was the result of a problem in the house's wiring. "It was at or near a light fixture," said Lt. Mark Stone of the Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department.
No residents were home at the time of the fire, but a neighbor, who attempted to assist the firefighters, was injured. He was treated at the scene, said Stone.
Two adults and five children were displaced by the fire. The damage is estimated at $250,000.
<sh>Best Western Clerk Robbed
<bt>A clerk at the Best Western hotel on the 8400 block of Westpark Drive was robbed on Dec. 9, according to Fairfax County Police.
At about 8 p.m., two men entered the hotel and demanded money at gunpoint from the 29-year-old clerk from McLean. They were given an undisclosed amount of cash and fled in an unknown direction. The clerk was not injured.
Both men were described as black and in their mid 20s. One, police said, was approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, 170 pounds, wearing a ski mask and green, Army-style jacket.
The other was 6 feet 2 inches tall, 200 pounds, wearing a black, Army-style jacket and had a dark scarf tied around his face.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131 or Crime Solvers at 800-673-2777. All callers may remain anonymous.
<sh>Cellular Phone Collection
<cl>Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (R) has recently implemented the "Verizon Wireless Hopeline Virginia Partnership" program, an effort to provide used and refurbished cellular phones to victims of domestic violence. Virginians can donate discarded cellular phones at any Verizon Wireless retail store or at the Satellite Office of the attorney general at 10555 Main St., Fairfax.