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DEVELOPING: SUV crashes into gas line on Ox Road, prompting evacuations

By Angela Woolsey
Firefighters in full turnout gear spraying a vehicle crash scene; a dark SUV is lodged on a wooden fence at the roadside, with smoke in the background.
Busy suburban street closed for roadwork with orange cones, workers guiding traffic, and parked cars under a blue sky with trees on both sides.
Wide view of a multi-lane intersection with zebra crosswalks, traffic lights, and several parked and moving cars; trees line the far side of the street at noon sun.
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An SUV driver crashed into a gas line in Fairfax Station this morning (Wednesday), resulting in a gas leak that forced evacuations of a nearby school and shopping center.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD) responded at around 10:57 a.m. to the intersection of Ox Road (Route 123) and Burke Centre Parkway for the crash. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters reported a “smell of gas in the area,” according to scanner traffic.

“We got one SUV into a gas meter on 123, just south of Burke Centre Parkway,” a firefighter said on the scanner, adding that northbound Route 123 needed to be shut down.

Responders quickly determined that there had been a gas leak, requiring Washington Gas to be notified.

According to the FCFRD, the driver struck a 12-inch gas line.

Traffic camera footage of the crash, shared by public safety watcher Dave Statter, suggests the driver was on the wrong side of the road when they crashed. An SUV is seen squeezing past another vehicle waiting in a left-turn lane on Ox Road and crossing to the other side of the road in the Burke Centre Parkway intersection before veering off the street after crossing Burke Centre Parkway and crashing.

The driver has been transported to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening, officials said.

Per scanner traffic, a “significant odor” of gas was reportedly detected in Fairview Elementary School, which has been evacuated, as have businesses at Burke Centre Shopping Center.

“Both directions of Ox Road are currently shut down,” the Fairfax County Police Department said on social media at 11:46 a.m. “Expect extended delays as crews repair the pipeline.”

About the Author

  • Angela Woolsey is the site editor for FFXnow. A graduate of George Mason University, she worked as a general assignment reporter for the Fairfax County Times before joining Local News Now as the Tysons Reporter editor in 2020.