House Explosion in North Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would never buy half of a duplex. Logistical nightmare.

That seems silly. So you would never buy a townhome or rowhouse? Because of a rare isolate incident with a crazy person? Do some research on the neighbors, and 99.99% of the time you will be fine. Don't buy a home adjacent to a house with covered up windows.

+1

Also, property owners are in the public record. Before making an offer, Google the people next to you to see if they post paranoid delusions.

Anyone with a mental illness should be put on a public watch-list, so home buyers can just google them, and avoid having to live near the mentally ill.

This is stupid. "Mental illness" is a very broad range. Windows covered up? Car and yard filled with stuff? Move on to another listing. You don't even need to google anyone (but you can, as pp mentioned with public property records), just use sensible judgment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So incredibly sad that this man didn’t get mental health treatment he so obviously needs . How did he get so many guns?

To clear the air:

This is a regular SFH/brick duplex neighborhood in Arlington a couple of blocks from the Ballston metro, near a popular trail, a big elementary school, a large community center, etc. About as low-crime, suburban kind of neighborhood as it gets, with those small, close-in lots.

There's no such thing as a "meth lab" in Arlington, lots are too small and rents are too high for there to be vacant properties like that. Small older houses sell for $850K in one week and are torn down to build $1.5M McMansions.

There is no evidence of any guns except the flare gun, so laws may have actually worked in this case. Signs point to natural gas as the source of the explosion.

Records show family (sister and ex-wife) had tried to get him mental health treatment, which is hard to do with an adult.

Calling him "racist against white people" is ridiculous. He was an untreated paranoid schizophrenic, he didn't have coherent thoughts, he thought anyone and everyone was out to get him.

It happens in the most expensive neighborhoods don’t worry.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/10/30/california-meth-lab-house-san-jose-million/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Interview with the guy who took the video

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would never buy half of a duplex. Logistical nightmare.

That seems silly. So you would never buy a townhome or rowhouse? Because of a rare isolate incident with a crazy person? Do some research on the neighbors, and 99.99% of the time you will be fine. Don't buy a home adjacent to a house with covered up windows.

+1

Also, property owners are in the public record. Before making an offer, Google the people next to you to see if they post paranoid delusions.

Anyone with a mental illness should be put on a public watch-list, so home buyers can just google them, and avoid having to live near the mentally ill.

This is stupid. "Mental illness" is a very broad range. Windows covered up? Car and yard filled with stuff? Move on to another listing. You don't even need to google anyone (but you can, as pp mentioned with public property records), just use sensible judgment.

But why take the risk?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would never buy half of a duplex. Logistical nightmare.

That seems silly. So you would never buy a townhome or rowhouse? Because of a rare isolate incident with a crazy person? Do some research on the neighbors, and 99.99% of the time you will be fine. Don't buy a home adjacent to a house with covered up windows.

+1

Also, property owners are in the public record. Before making an offer, Google the people next to you to see if they post paranoid delusions.

Anyone with a mental illness should be put on a public watch-list, so home buyers can just google them, and avoid having to live near the mentally ill.

This is stupid. "Mental illness" is a very broad range. Windows covered up? Car and yard filled with stuff? Move on to another listing. You don't even need to google anyone (but you can, as pp mentioned with public property records), just use sensible judgment.

But why take the risk?

Sounds like you should never be a homeowner, ever, if you’re this absurdly delicately risk averse. Not a condo, SFH, or townhome. Honestly even renting carries loads of risk, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would never buy half of a duplex. Logistical nightmare.

That seems silly. So you would never buy a townhome or rowhouse? Because of a rare isolate incident with a crazy person? Do some research on the neighbors, and 99.99% of the time you will be fine. Don't buy a home adjacent to a house with covered up windows.

+1

Also, property owners are in the public record. Before making an offer, Google the people next to you to see if they post paranoid delusions.

Anyone with a mental illness should be put on a public watch-list, so home buyers can just google them, and avoid having to live near the mentally ill.

where do you draw the line? Do you include depression? ADHD? Tourette’s?

[Anonymous]

[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would never buy half of a duplex. Logistical nightmare.

That seems silly. So you would never buy a townhome or rowhouse? Because of a rare isolate incident with a crazy person? Do some research on the neighbors, and 99.99% of the time you will be fine. Don't buy a home adjacent to a house with covered up windows.

+1

Also, property owners are in the public record. Before making an offer, Google the people next to you to see if they post paranoid delusions.

Anyone with a mental illness should be put on a public watch-list, so home buyers can just google them, and avoid having to live near the mentally ill.

where do you draw the line? Do you include depression? ADHD? Tourette’s?

Online forum obsession?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So incredibly sad that this man didn’t get mental health treatment he so obviously needs . How did he get so many guns?

To clear the air:

This is a regular SFH/brick duplex neighborhood in Arlington a couple of blocks from the Ballston metro, near a popular trail, a big elementary school, a large community center, etc. About as low-crime, suburban kind of neighborhood as it gets, with those small, close-in lots.

There's no such thing as a "meth lab" in Arlington, lots are too small and rents are too high for there to be vacant properties like that. Small older houses sell for $850K in one week and are torn down to build $1.5M McMansions.

There is no evidence of any guns except the flare gun, so laws may have actually worked in this case. Signs point to natural gas as the source of the explosion.

Records show family (sister and ex-wife) had tried to get him mental health treatment, which is hard to do with an adult.

Calling him "racist against white people" is ridiculous. He was an untreated paranoid schizophrenic, he didn't have coherent thoughts, he thought anyone and everyone was out to get him.

It happens in the most expensive neighborhoods don’t worry.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/10/30/california-meth-lab-house-san-jose-million/

I guess a homeowner could have a meth lab in their house, but is hopefully going to know what they are doing and not blow themselves and their house up. It seems like the explosions come from the meth heads who are idiots and don't know how to cook. But fine, point taken. I was just objecting to the speculation that Arlington is full of meth dens or something. There are some vacant properties around (usually because someone is in a nursing home or heirs are contesting a will) but generally speaking people are pretty quick around here to report anything suspicious.

[Anonymous]

Racist and evil, demented lunatic. Both things can be true.

[Anonymous]

Maybe a missing middle developer will make the other half whole. Only upside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I would never buy half of a duplex. Logistical nightmare.

That seems silly. So you would never buy a townhome or rowhouse? Because of a rare isolate incident with a crazy person? Do some research on the neighbors, and 99.99% of the time you will be fine. Don't buy a home adjacent to a house with covered up windows.

+1

Also, property owners are in the public record. Before making an offer, Google the people next to you to see if they post paranoid delusions.

Anyone with a mental illness should be put on a public watch-list, so home buyers can just google them, and avoid having to live near the mentally ill.

Agree.

I would not want any of those people in my neighborhood.

Do you even hear yourself? We do have something along the lines of basic civil rights left in this country. While I do agree that dangerous people should not be allowed to hurt others, I am NOT ok with the government creating watch lists of people who their neighbors have decided are a little "weird" so they must be dangerous. Was this man convicted of any crimes before yesterday? I bet not. So what are your grounds for "tracking" him? Putting crazy stuff on the internet? Half of DCUM would be on this list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Beyond weird how giddy this man is after just witnessing a horrible explosion.

This guys reaction is very strange and I don't want to hear anything about shock--this ain't it. Something isn't right here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This guy is sooo DC.

Yup he is. So glad I'm moving out of the area...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Beyond weird how giddy this man is after just witnessing a horrible explosion.

This guys reaction is very strange and I don't want to hear anything about shock--this ain't it. Something isn't right here.

Take off your tinfoil hat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most homeowners insurance will deny a claim caused by the home owner, such as arson. It voids the policy. I wonder if this will be the case here and makes me feel even worse for the other duplex family as they will have an uphill battle getting it rebuilt.

In Del Ray 2 years ago there was a duplex that burned quickly to the ground (and taking cars with it). The fire started in the side that housed a well known hoarder and she also hoarded propane tanks among other trash. The first very quickly spread to the adjoining unit where a mother and baby were home and she said she barely had time to get her baby and her dog out, much less move her car or grab anything else. Police evacuated a 4 block radius for hours.

It still hasn’t been rebuilt.

They'll have to sue him, but I doubt he has money. I would imagine their insurance would kick in which will cost them a lot on the long run

He owns the land which is worth hundreds of thousands. Does the other family have to rebuild one side of a duplex? Could a small SFH fit on the lot?