Firefighters burn down Annandale house for training purposes

Residents of the Columbia Pines and Broyhill Crest neighborhoods in Annandale were startled by what looked like a raging out-of-control fire engulfing a house on Murray Lane yesterday. It was actually deliberately set by Fairfax County firefighters for training purposes—with the homeowner’s permission, of course. He is planning to tear down the house and build a new one. Annandale Arts videographer Bob Kovacs, who happens to live nearby, captured the fire on video:

The owner of the house, Farid Naimi, said he heard about the
house donation program from a friend who had previously done it. Naimi bought
the house in November and never lived in it, so watching it burn wasn’t as
emotional as it might have been. He plans to start construction on a 5,000-square
foot house on the property next month.

What’s left of the house after the training session.