Fourteen people were injured when a car crashed into an Irish pub, causing a fire in the building in Arlington’s courthouse area Friday night.
Medics took eight people to hospitals, four of whom were seriously injured, police in Arlington County, Virginia, said. The other four have non-life-threatening injuries, the police said. Medics treated six other people at the scene and all are doing well, police said.
Pictures from the scene at the Four Courts of Ireland show a gaping hole in the front of the building with plumes of smoke billowing from it.
A fire service spokesman said the crash happened at around 6.45pm and firefighters arrived at the pub to find it engulfed in flames. The fire has already been extinguished, the fire department said.
“I was just talking to some regulars who came in and I heard a bang. We all heard a ban, an explosion, so I just turned around and saw all the debris coming towards the back of the pub. So it was just pure panic,” Mary Riley, a server at the pub, told News4. “It was pure panic. ‘Everybody in the back, everybody in the back.’ That was it. Just panic.”
Reilly said she didn’t see the car at all from where she was and saw smoke and debris.
“I thought the whole place was just going to explode,” she said.
Riley said he thinks the number of people injured would have been worse if the bar had been busier, as it usually is on a Friday night.
“It’s the grace of God that we weren’t busy tonight. Of course, waiters, bartenders complain that we are not busy, but we are usually packed. That top bar that the car drove through is usually full,” she said.
It was too early to know why the car crashed into the building or the extent of structural damage to the pub, the spokesman said. Although it’s unclear what direction the car was traveling before the crash, the restaurant is located at the intersection of N. Courthouse Road, which ends at Wilson Boulevard.
More than an hour after the crash, dozens of firefighters, medics and police are still working at the scene.
@ArlingtonVaPD and ACFD are investigating a vehicle crash at a building in the 2000 block of Wilson Blvd. The accident caused a building fire, which was extinguished. Multiple injuries were reported. The investigation continues. pic.twitter.com/R9YP83qgkS
— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) August 12, 2022
Ireland’s Four Courts is a popular spot for football fans, and the curious bar nights also draw crowds.
The pub has been around for 20 years, according to its website. He asked in a tweet to “keep all those injured in your thoughts and prayers.”
Stay with News4 for continuous coverage.
Add Comment