
(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) A massive fire broke out last night (Monday) at the Rainwater Landfill on Richmond Highway in Lorton, occupying Fairfax County firefighters for hours.
As of 9 a.m., the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department remains on scene in the 9900 block of Richmond Highway after units were dispatched to a reported outside fire at 11:03 p.m.
The department reported at 5:47 a.m. that the fire had been contained, but smoke was still visible from Route 1 and I-95.
Given the size of the fire, it will be at least 24 hours before investigators can determine a cause, FCFRD spokesperson Ashley Hildebrandt told FFXnow.
“The fire was contained to the landfill,” Hildebrandt said, describing the site as an area for construction debris rather than a trash landfill.
Established in 1969, Rainwater Topsoil & Recycled Concrete provides mulch, soil, construction and other debris disposal services to Northern Virginia, according to its website.
The mulch section of the landfill appears to have been most affected, since the fire department says the site is “mainly logs & brush.”
“Due to the amount of smoke generated, HazMat units conducted atmospheric monitoring. All readings are within normal levels,” the FCFRD said at 12:25 p.m.
Around 11pm #FCFRD units responded to a landfill in the 9900 blk of Richmond Hwy in Lorton for reports of an outside fire. Crews are actively working to get the large volume fire under control & will be on scene for an extended period of time. Smoke is visible from Rte 1 & I-95. pic.twitter.com/d9sLBnKfuC
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) June 6, 2023
UPDATE 9900 Richmond Hwy: The fire is under control. The landfill is mainly logs & brush. Due to the amount of smoke generated, HazMat units conducted atmospheric monitoring. All readings are within normal levels. Crews to remain on scene to assist w/ extinguishment efforts. pic.twitter.com/0nDFtDB0nM
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) June 6, 2023

A man died after hitting a deer on the Dulles Airport Access Highway in Tysons last night (Wednesday).
Police responded to the westbound lanes about a mile west of the Capital Beltway (I-495) for a single-vehicle crash around 8:17 p.m., says the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which has jurisdiction over the Dulles Access Road.
Upon arriving, officers found the adult, male driver dead in the vehicle, which police described as a “ride-share Toyota minivan.”
An injured passenger was transported to Reston Hospital Center by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, according to scanner traffic. Police confirmed that the passenger was a rideshare customer.
“Airport-bound traffic was detoured to the Dulles Toll Road during the accident reconstruction,” MWAA said.
Horrendous incident on the Dulles Access Road tonight. Rideshare driver headed to airport killed when he struck a deer in Tysons. Passenger also injured. Both access lanes closed, tolled lanes open @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/fHWSMj5NRY
— Tom Lynch (@TomLynch_) May 18, 2023
FATAL DEER-VS-AUTO CRASH — westbound Dulles Access Rd just past the tollbooth. One human dead, and another injured. #VATraffic pic.twitter.com/lBvDaRMzOc
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) May 18, 2023
Map via Google Maps

The driver of a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue engine who struck and killed a woman on Glade Drive in Reston did not see the woman lying in the roadway, police say.
Preliminarily, investigators believe that speed was not a factor in the crash, which happened shortly after 2:18 am yesterday (Monday), the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release.
According to the FCPD, the police and fire departments received a call that a woman who appeared to be intoxicated was lying on the ground west of Laurel Glade Court. The officer who arrived first at the scene did not see the woman lying in the roadway, passing her to talk to the person who made the 911 call.
The driver of the fire engine followed the officer. The captain saw the woman and “immediately” called on the engine to stop and turn, but the driver was unable to avoid the crash, police said.
“Fire and rescue personnel immediately began to provide advanced medical care,” the FCPD said.
The woman was identified as Ashley Boardman, 23, of Middleburg. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Police say they are still investigating “if drugs or alcohol were factors for Boardman,” who had reportedly been found unconscious by the caller, according to the initial police dispatch.
Boardman is now the fourth pedestrian to be killed on Fairfax County roads this year. At this time in 2022, there had been six fatal pedestrian crashes, per the FCPD.
As @FairfaxCountyPD releases more information about this morning fatal pedestrian event, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Boardman. https://t.co/x7A38IAmc5 pic.twitter.com/mxLSZmD2Pf
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) May 8, 2023

A pedestrian was killed after being run over by a fire engine near the Reston Glade Apartments early this morning (Monday).
A medical unit with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department was dispatched to Glade Drive at Dosnia Court near Dogwood Elementary School for a medical emergency around 2:19 a.m., according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
Around the same time, Fairfax County police officers were dispatched to Dogwood Elementary School for a “suspicious person” after a caller reported an apparently unconscious woman on the ground.
At 2:24 a.m., a fire department responder told the dispatcher that the “patient’s in the road, run over by engine 31. Appears to be DOA.”
A police officer said at 2:30 a.m. that the road would need to be shut down.
“The fire truck actually struck this individual,” the officer said.
Detectives with the FCPD’s Crash Reconstruction Unit were sent to the scene of what it described as a “fatal pedestrian crash involving @ffxfirerescue,” the department tweeted shortly after 4 a.m.
Glade Drive was closed for over an hour between Laurel Glade Drive and Rosedown Drive.
The roadway is open. Follow our blog for future updates. https://t.co/YUigMm3yDx
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) May 8, 2023

Arson was behind an April 27 house fire in Annandale that cost two people and a dog their home, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says.
Clinton James Hall, 27, was arrested yesterday (Wednesday) and charged with one count of burning or destroying a building after investigators determined that the fire in the 4900 block of Bristow Drive was “incendiary in nature.”
According to the FCFRD report, Hall started the fire on the porch of a three-story, single-family home in the Annandale Terrace neighborhood late that evening. Both residents and the dog were inside at the time.
“The dog alerted the occupants and all self-evacuated from the residence prior to fire department arrival,” the department said. “There were working smoke alarms that activated after the fire was discovered.”
Fire investigators have determined that the April 27 house fire on Bristow Dr in Annandale was incendiary in nature. The fire started on the porch. Damages as a result of the fire were approximately $461,480. https://t.co/jnJoRDo7im
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) May 3, 2023
Firefighter units were dispatched to the scene at 11:57 p.m. and arrived to find a blaze that was visible from three sides of the building. Crews “worked quickly” to extinguish the fire, and no injuries were reported.
However, the occupants and their pet were displaced, and the fire caused an estimated $461,480 in property damages.
Virginia classifies arson as a Class 3 felony if someone is inside the building when it’s burned. If convicted, Hall would face beween five and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
The news of Hall’s arrest came the same day that a house fire farther north in Annandale took the lives of two dogs and a cat.

Multiple pets were killed in a house fire in the Broyhill Crest neighborhood of Annandale this morning.
Fairfax County firefighters were dispatched to the single-family house in the 3500 block of Marvin Street at 11:19 a.m., according to scanner traffic.
Upon arriving, firefighters found smoke issuing from a fire apparently concentrated in the house’s basement, which was difficult to access due to “hoarding conditions.”
All human occupants were able to evacuate and are safe, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson Ashley Hildebrandt says. The exact number of people who were in the house hasn’t been confirmed yet.
However, two dogs and a cat were trapped by the fire. Annandale Today first reported that one of the dogs, a Doberman, had died, and the FCFRD later confirmed that all three pets were killed.
Units are on scene of a reported house fire in the 3500 blk of Marvin Street in the Annandale area. Units arrived on scene to find smoke showing. The fire is under control. No civilian or firefighter injuries. Sadly, two dogs and a cat did not survive. pic.twitter.com/X5kFuwO1Zh
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) May 3, 2023
Happening now. A fire on Marvin Street in Broyhill Crest in Annandale has claimed the life of the resident's Doberman. Another dog and cat are still inside. Units from the Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, and Edsall Road fire stations are on the scene. pic.twitter.com/UFMKcbjZRD
— Annandale Today (@AnnandaleToday) May 3, 2023
Hat tip to Xavier “X” on Twitter

(Updated at 4:50 p.m.) One person died and two people were seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash at the Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) and Patrick Henry Drive intersection in Seven Corners early this morning (Friday).
Emergency responders with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to the scene of a crash with injuries around 1:11 a.m., according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
A preliminary investigation indicated that a 2016 Honda Accord headed east on Arlington Blvd crashed into a 2018 Honda Civic that was trying to make “an abrupt U-turn” from the far-right lane of eastbound Arlington Blvd., the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release.
According to a dispatcher, one of the vehicles in the crash caught on fire. Christina Hamilton, 37, who’s believed to have been the Civic driver, died after being transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital.
The driver and a passenger in the Accord were hospitalized with injuries not considered life-threatening.
Witnesses told responders that another man had fled the scene and was seen headed toward the nearby Target store. However, police now say the crash doesn’t appear to have been a hit-and-run.
“At this time, detectives do not believe there is anyone outstanding,” the FCPD said. “Detectives continue to investigate to confirm Hamilton was the driver of the Civic.”
Route 50 was closed to traffic between Olin Drive and Patrick Henry until shortly before 6 a.m, according to police.
This is the third fatal crash on Fairfax County roads in 2023 that didn’t involve pedestrians, following a single-vehicle crash on Braddock Road in February and the Jan. 10 crash on Lee Chapel Road that killed two teens. At this time last year, the FCPD had recorded two non-pedestrian-involved fatal crashes.
There have been a total of seven traffic fatalities in the county this year, including highway crashes and pedestrians, according to state data.
Rt. 50 is back open in both directions. The patients remain hospitalized. Follow our blog for updates https://t.co/QsTzdpgf0U
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) April 21, 2023
CRASH with FIRE and THREE CRITICAL INJURIES — Arlington Blvd at Patrick Henry Dr in Seven Corners. Two-vehicle crash with fire and *3* CRITICALLY injured with one in cardiac arrest. h/t @HCBright10 #VATraffic @ffxnow pic.twitter.com/iOXE1rq91R
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) April 21, 2023
Photo via Google Maps

A trio of dogs was rescued from a townhouse fire in Centreville’s Bryarton neighborhood this morning (Wednesday).
Multiple Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units were dispatched to the 14600 block of Seasons Drive around 11:17 a.m., according to scanner traffic from Open MHz.
The fire department tweeted at 11:27 a.m. that units had arrived at the three-story residence and could see smoke issuing from the second floor.
“Crews working to extinguish a fire on the second floor,” the department said.
Per scanner traffic, firefighters said multiple pets were found in the townhouse. At one point, a responder report that there may be an elderly person in the house, but the department didn’t immediately confirm to FFXnow whether any people were inside.
The fire was extinguished shortly before 11:45 a.m., and no injuries were reported, including to the dogs, according to the FCFRD.
“Three dogs rescued are in good shape after treatment by #FCFRD firefighters and paramedics,” the department said.
UPDATE: Fire is out. Three dogs rescued by firefighters. #FCFRD https://t.co/PZuFoJcRhc
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 19, 2023
UPDATE- townhouse fire in the 14600 block of Seasons Drive in Centreville. Three dogs rescued are in good shape after treatment by #FCFRD firefighters and paramedics. No other reported injuries at this time. pic.twitter.com/zDteBtULYe
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 19, 2023

(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) Fairfax County firefighters have descended on a forested residential neighborhood in Annandale in an effort to extinguish a two-alarm brush fire.
About a dozen units were dispatched to the 6900 block of Alpine Drive at 2:47 p.m. for a house fire, according to scanner traffic on OpenMHz.
“First units on scene reported a large volume of fire behind a house,” the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said on Twitter. “Crews working to extinguish the fire.”
Scanner traffic indicates that the fire has been spreading outdoors without reaching any of the homes in the neighborhood, which has the Evergreen House apartments as well as single-family houses.
“Nothing’s spreading to the homes. It’s all in the yard and trees,” a responder said on the radio.
A few trees were burning 30 to 40 feet up in the air, the incident commander said, who advised firefighters to check for dead trees.
The fire department said at 3:38 p.m. that responders had most of the fire under control. No buildings were affected, and no injuries were reported, but the fire covered approximately 2 acres of land.
UPDATE: Second Alarm requested. Fire is close to homes/buildings. #FCFRD https://t.co/eBqT8A9sNF
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 13, 2023
UPDATE- brush fire in the 6900 block of Alpine Drive in Annandale. Bulk of fire is under control. Approximately two acres are involved. No structures impacted at this time. No reported injuries. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/inV9PY4YBK
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 13, 2023

A fire broke out this morning (Monday) in an abandoned automobile dealership near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.
Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to 8546 Leesburg Pike at 10:45 a.m. for a commercial building fire, according to scanner traffic on OpenMHz.
Firefighters on the scene reported smoke from the roof of the building, which was once a Bentley and Aston Martin dealership.
Scanner traffic suggests that firefighters needed to break through a chain link fence around the property to get to the building. The fire was located in a bathroom.
The FCFRD reported around 11:30 a.m. that the fire had been extinguished, and no injuries were reported. Units are still on the scene to ventilate smoke from the building.
UPDATE: building fire in the 8500 block of Leesburg Pike in Tysons area. Fire is out. Units still on scene ventilating https://t.co/sws8vq3CfD investigators on scene to determine cause. #FCFRD pic.twitter.com/xFGOHFswLW
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 10, 2023