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Road near Westfield High School shut down due to ‘significant’ gas leak

A Fairfax County Fire and Rescue hazmat unit is on the scene of a gas leak on Willard Road in Chantilly (via FCFRD/Twitter)

(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) An 8-inch natural gas line was ruptured near Westfield High School this morning (Wednesday), forcing a closure of Willard Road in Chantilly.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responders, including a hazmat team, were dispatched to the 14800 block of Willard Road around 10:26 a.m. for a “hazardous material emergency,” according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

There was “a significant leak” that would require a shutdown of both sides of Willard between Lee Road and Stonecroft Blvd, according to responders on the scene.

A hazmat worker said at 10:54 a.m. that the nearby CARSTAR Centreville Collision Center was evacuated after workers reported an odor, per the scanner. The worker later told the dispatcher that “no abnormal readings” were detected in the auto shop.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department initially said a 2-inch line had been struck, but after arriving at the scene, Washington Gas workers determined that the affected line was 8 inches wide.

An FCFRD spokesperson told FFXnow no other details about the cause of the struck gas line were available, as of 12:42 p.m.

The damage was caused by a third party, but there’s “no confirmation that it was from construction,” a Washington Gas spokesperson says.

“Crews on site shut gas off just after noon,” Washington Gas said. “No estimate has been given on repairs.”

The fire department said its units “will be on scene for an undetermined amount of time.” Community members are advised to find alternate travel routes.

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Traffic Alert: Hunter Mill Road closed near Nova Wild zoo for gas leak

Fire and rescue units and Washington Gas are on the scene of a gas leak in the 10600 block of Chamberlain Drive in Reston (via FCFRD/Twitter)

Nearly a mile of Hunter Mill Road in Reston has been closed in response to an outside gas leak in a residential neighborhood.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says units responded around 4 p.m. to the gas leak in the 10600 block of Chamberlain Drive. Washington Gas is currently on the scene making repairs.

“There is currently a smell of gas permeating the area,” the fire department said in a tweet shortly before 7 p.m. “FCFRD units are monitoring the atmosphere to ensure no hazard exists.”

According to scanner traffic on Open MHz, Washington Gas has a 4-inch main gas line in the area.

The roadway has been shut down from Cobble Mill Road just outside the zoo Nova Wild (1228 Hunter Mill Road) to Mount Sunapee Road. Fairfax County police say an “extended” closure could be required, advising community members to “avoid the area.”

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JUST IN: Gas leak shuts down Route 7 in Wolf Trap

A gas leak has closed Route 7 at Forestville Drive/Beulah Road in Wolf Trap (via FCFRD/Twitter)

(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) A gas leak has closed Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) at Beulah Road and Forestville Drive in the Wolf Trap area.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department units are currently at the scene and expect to be there for “an extended period of time,” the department said at 11:39 a.m.

“Leesburg Pike is closed in both directions. Please seek alternative routes,” the FCFRD said.

According to the Fairfax County Police Department, the closure may last “several days” as crews make repairs.

A Washington Gas representative says “a third party” hit one of the company’s 6-inch main lines. The location of the line required the intersection to close for repairs.

The “large volume” gas line was hit during construction work on the roadway, according to the FCPD public affairs bureau.

“Due to the scope of the repair ahead, it is estimated that the repair will take several days,” Sgt. Jacob Pearce told FFXnow.

Construction to widen Route 7 from Reston Avenue to Jarrett Valley Drive just north of Tysons has been underway since 2019.

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JUST IN: Gas leak shuts down Wiehle and Sunset Hills in Reston

Firefighters on the scene of a gas leak at Wiehle Avenue and Sunset Hills Road in Reston (via FCFRD/Twitter)

Updated at 2:10 p.m. — The gas leak in Reston has been stopped. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units are returning to service, but the road closures are expected to remain in place “for several hours” while the roads are repaired, the department says.

Earlier: A gas line in Reston was ruptured this morning (Friday), requiring a near-total shutdown of Wiehle Avenue and Sunset Hills Road.

A 4-inch gas line was hit and “actively leaking” under the roadway, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said at 8:37 a.m.

Sunset Hills Road has been closed except for one westbound lane, and all southbound Wiehle Avenue lanes have been shut down at Isaac Newton Square.

The fire department reported at 9:07 a.m. that the situation has stabilized, but the roads are still closed. The gas company has arrived on the scene and is working “to clamp/stop leak.”

Travelers are still advised to avoid the area. No injuries have been reported, FCFRD says.

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JUST IN: Gas leaks reported in Vienna and Burke after workers hit pipes

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Updated at 5:45 p.m. — The gas leak in Vienna was stopped around 1:30 p.m., the county fire department said. The cutoff caused an outage for seven customers, who are now in the process of being reconnected, according to Washington Gas.

Earlier: Fairfax County firefighters are currently responding to two separate gas leaks in residential neighborhoods, one in the Town of Vienna and another in Burke.

In Vienna, portions of Tapawingo Road and Park Street have been closed to traffic, as crews shut down a gas leak from a 2-inch pipeline in the 100 block of Tapawingo Road SE. As of 12:30 p.m., the leak has been stabilized, but firefighters from the county and town are waiting for Washington Gas to arrive.

Firefighters are also in Burke to address a different, active gas leak in the 9600 block of Bronte Drive. All nearby houses are safe, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said.

In both cases, the leak was caused by workers hitting a pipeline, according to the fire department.

The department said it doesn’t currently have information about what the workers were doing or estimates for when repairs will be completed.

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‘Small’ gas leak reported in McLean Community Center

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department responds to a gas leak in the McLean Community Center (via FCFRD/Twitter)

(Updated at 9:10 a.m.) There has been a “small” gas leak inside the McLean Community Center, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department reported this morning (Monday).

Firefighters were on the scene at 1234 Ingleside Avenue around 7 a.m. At that point, the situation was under control, and units were waiting for the gas company to arrive, according to the department.

The facility has been closed for the day, according to the McLean Project for the Arts, which says the leaking gas is carbon monoxide.

In a separate incident, the community center had to be evacuated in October, when workers hit a gas line on Oak Ridge Avenue, causing a leak near the adjacent Dolly Madison Library.

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