A two-alarm fire broke out at Bren Mar Park Elementary School in Lincolnia this afternoon (Sunday), sending a sizable plume of black smoke into the air.
Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to the two-story school at 6344 Beryl Road around 3:22 p.m. for a building fire, according to the county’s emergency scanner.
“Significant fire in the two-story addition,” a firefighter at the scene reported.
According to the scanner, the school is currently empty since it’s the weekend, and the fire appeared to be concentrated on the second floor and roof of an expansion that’s under construction at the rear of the building.
Firefighters indicated that some gas was initially released around the construction site, but that stopped by 3:30 p.m.
Around 3:43 p.m., responders were warned to watch out for “contents blowing off the roof.”
“All units, use caution for flying debris from the roof,” a firefighter said.
Streams of water used by the firefighters to battle the fire could be seen in traffic camera video shared by public safety watcher Dave Statter. Smoke from the fire was visible from as far away as Kingstowne.
Beryl Road was closed between Edsall Road and Sheldon Drive, as firefighters worked on the fire. Scanner traffic suggests they were able to get the fire under control by 3:52 p.m.
The FCFRD confirmed shortly after 6 p.m. that the fire had been extinguished and didn’t result in any injuries.
NEW: The large volume of black smoke off Edsall Road east of I-395 is a two-alarm fire at the Bren Mar Park Elementary School in Fairfax County. As you see in the video, firefighters are fighting the fire from outside, using large streams of water via aerial ladders. @ffxnow… pic.twitter.com/2aLyZOErdf
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) April 19, 2026
On Sunday at 3:21pm #FCFRD responded to the 6300 blk of Beryl Rd in Lincolnia for a report of fire coming from an elementary school. Crews arrived to fire and heavy smoke coming from the rear of Bren Mar Elementary School. 2nd alarm was called. Fire is out. No injuries. @fcpsnews pic.twitter.com/DygchMA0qi
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 19, 2026
Fairfax County Public Schools announced shortly before 8 p.m. that the school has been deemed safe for students, since the fire didn’t affect the main building.
Sunday afternoon, there was a fire at Bren Mar Park Elementary School in Alexandria. The fire was contained to materials on the roof of the new portion of the building, which is the area that is still under construction. The fire is out, and we are thankful it did not impact the main school building and that no one was inside at the time.
We would like to express our gratitude to the Fairfax County Fire Department and all the firefighters who responded quickly and worked to bring the situation under control. Their quick response prevented this from becoming a much more serious situation.
While the investigation into the cause continues, the Fire Marshal has determined that it is safe for students to return to school tomorrow. We are grateful that classes will be able to continue without disruption.
Once again, thank you to our first responders and our entire Fairfax County community for your care and concern.
A renovation and expansion of Bren Mar Park Elementary has been under construction since January 2025, according to Fairfax County Public Schools. In the school system’s queue since 2009, the 65,601-square-foot addition will include more classrooms, a new cafeteria, a new kitchen and a library.
A bus loop will also be added, along with improvements to the parking lot, kiss-and-ride drop-off area, and playgrounds. When completed, the school will have the capacity to accommodate 800 students.
FCPS anticipated that construction would be completed in summer 2027.
