Cami Minks was getting ready for bed in her Centreville home on a quiet Sunday night, when suddenly, her house vibrated from the sound of an enormous explosion.
“I thought it was a bomb,” Minks, a resident of the Belle Pond neighborhood, recalled. “It was that loud. It shook everything.”
Minks called her neighbor and raced outside only to see another neighbor’s house up in yellow flames: “Two houses down, you could feel the heat from it,” she said. A man was standing on the back deck.
“Our neighbor Eddie ran over in his t-shirt and bare feet and convinced him to jump off his deck and broke his fall and caught him,” she said. “And then we all ran away from the house as it was engulfed in flames.”
Minks and other neighborhood residents showed up at the Cub Run Recreation Center in Chantilly this morning (Tuesday) for a discussion about the gas leak that set off a house fire around 9:48 p.m. on Feb. 15 in the 14300 block of Quail Pond Court.
Two people were injured in the fire, which took out the entire house, but their injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
Eighty-two homes remain without gas, and 46 homes were evacuated, though there is a possibility that the evacuation area could expand to include another 100 homes, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) officials said during a media briefing following the town hall with residents. If it does, officials hope to give three to four hours’ notice.
“We believe we have almost all gas service in the area completely eliminated, so the only residual odor of gas or readings that we’re getting are coming up through the soil and that were probably there prior to the incident,” said Eric Craven, FCFRD assistant chief of operations.
“Right now Washington Gas has multiple dig sites in progress as they try and access the lines.” Craven said. There are several gas lines operated by Williams Pipeline Corporation and Washington Gas in the area, he said.
He noted that while the fire department is in charge of evacuation efforts, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has “full investigative authority” over pipeline incidents of this size.
Residents in the area are allowed to access their homes with an escort from the fire department. “For their safety, we will make sure that we escort them in, take readings of all three levels of their home before they cross the threshold,” Craven said.
He estimates that the fire department could be working in the area another 24 to 72 hours.
Craven said the NTSB will be present this evening for another town hall with residents at 7 p.m., also in the Cub Run Rec Center.
“We expect to have a statement from NTSB tonight regarding the status of the investigation,” he added.
Several residents, such as Stephanie Miller, who lives a couple of blocks away from the explosion in the Sequoia Farms neighborhood, said they understood that the investigation was still early. But they have questions for Washington Gas.
One resident alleged that Washington Gas had been doing work in the area earlier on Sunday, before the explosion. The utility said in a statement last night that it’s unable to comment on the incident or possible causes while the NTSB investigation is underway.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” said Miller.
According to Fairfax County, Washington Gas will provide hotel accommodations and reimbursements for all affected residents. The neighborhood is expected to remain off limits for the next 24 to 72 hours “as a precaution,” though readings show gas levels are continuing to drop.
More from the county’s press release:
Residents should plan to be out of their homes for the next 24–72 hours as a precaution while crews continue stabilization efforts. The county is assisting residents with escorted re-entry to retrieve essential items and vehicles until 9 p.m. today. Access will be facilitated at Buggy Whip Drive and Goldmoore Court. Residents must present a valid ID to verify residency.
Washington Gas has announced it will provide hotel accommodations or hotel reimbursement for impacted residents. Residents should email ombudsman@washgas.com and include whether they have pets so appropriate accommodations can be arranged.
Witnesses to the accident or those who may have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation are asked to contact the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) at witness@ntsb.gov.
