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Columbia Pike still closed after vehicle crash into house, utility pole in Bailey’s Crossroads

Downed utility pole on Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads (via FCPD/Twitter)

Columbia Pike has been closed for more than 12 hours near Bailey’s Crossroads after a vehicle crashed into a house and utility pole last night (Sunday), taking out the pole and, with it, the area’s electricity.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue investigators were dispatched to Columbia Pike at Powell Lane around 7:16 p.m. for the single-vehicle crash, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

Upon arriving at the scene, a responder reported to the dispatcher that one vehicle drove into a house, but there didn’t appear to be any structural damage.

“I do have a major power line blocking Columbia Pike in both directions,” he said.

No injuries were reported in the crash, but the downed utility pole resulted in power outages for 1,893 Dominion Energy customers, Dominion spokesperson Peggy Fox said shortly before 10 p.m.

The Fairfax County Police Department warned that the road closure would extend through the morning commute due to “extensive damage” at the Blair Road intersection.

As of 10:20 a.m., Columbia Pike remains closed in both directions, prompting the FCPD to advise drivers to find “an alternate route.” Dominion Energy still has 365 customers in Bailey’s Crossroads without power, according to the utility company’s outage map.

“We expect to bring power back by noon,” Fox said in a tweet. “Thanks for your patience. Avoid the area if possible.”

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Electrical fire leads to smoke, power outage on Route 7 in Tysons

Electrical equipment caught on fire near 8219 Leesburg Pike in Tysons (photo by Alan Henney)

Dark smoke was seen wafting over Route 7 near the Tysons Commerce Center office building (8219 Leesburg Pike) earlier this afternoon.

Alan Henney, a local crime and public safety watcher, reported hearing an “explosion [that] sounded like a transformer with fire” in the 8200 block of Leesburg Pike around 12:30 p.m. Photos and videos of the scene showed black smoke billowing up from near the office building, which is across the street from PetSmart.

While the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department didn’t receive any calls for a fire in the area, Dominion Energy spokesperson Peggy Fox confirmed that the utility had an equipment failure, sparking a fire on an electrical pole and causing a power outage that affected 1,572 customers.

“All but three customers were restored between 10 minutes and 39 minutes,” Fox told FFXnow. “Those remaining three will be out while repairs are made.”

Per Dominion Energy’s outage map, power is expected to be restored for those three customers around 4-7 p.m.

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NEW: Widespread power outage reported near Lee Highway in Chantilly

Fairfax County police (file photo)

Multiple traffic lights in the area of Willard Road and Lee Highway in Chantilly are down, police said.

The Fairfax County Police Department is on the scene of what appears to be a widespread power outage. 

Police encourage residents to use caution and follower officers’ directions. 

The cause of the outage is known at this time.

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Thunderstorm knocks out power for many in southeastern Fairfax County

Power outages in Belle Haven on Aug. 14, 2023 (via Dominion Energy)

Nearly 9,000 people in Fairfax County are without power after this afternoon’s storms, the most intense of which have moved on into Maryland.

As of 5:30 p.m., 8,971 Dominion Energy customers in the county had lost power, according to the real-time tracking database PowerOutage.US.

The most sizable outages have cropped up in Belle Haven along the Route 1 corridor, where 3,429 customers have lost power, and near Kingstowne along Beulah Street in Franconia, where 1,895 customers are affected, according to Dominion Energy’s outage map.

Per the map, Dominion has confirmed that the Franconia outage was caused by the storm, which produced high-speed winds that  prompted a Tornado Warning from 4:18-4:33 p.m. Crews are currently working on the incident, potentially restoring power between 5 and 10 p.m.

Causes for the most significant outages in the Belle Haven area are still pending investigation, but crews are now assessing the damage, according to Dominion. The estimated time of restoration ranges from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Power outages have also been reported in West Springfield and Mantua.

While there hasn’t been any confirmation of tornadoes, wind gusts reached 58 mph at Reagan National Airport, according to the Capital Weather Gang.

A Flash Flood Warning remains in effect until 7:45 p.m. Some flooding was reported in Springfield and the Alexandria area, where 2 to 4 inches of rain had fallen as of 5 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

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More than 2,000 people in Fairfax County still waiting for power after thunderstorm

Power outages in Fairfax area on Aug. 8, 2023 (via Dominion Energy)

Utility crews are still working to restore electricity to over 2,000 customers after last night’s storms.

As of 9 a.m., there were 2,545 people in the county without power, according to PowerOutage.US, which collects data from utilities across the country. That includes 1,672 Dominion Energy customers and 873 customers of the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC).

The scope of the outages has been reduced significantly overnight after strong winds and rain knocked out power for more than 16,000 people by 7 p.m. yesterday (Monday). The county was hit hardest south of I-66, particularly around Fairfax City and Annandale.

According to its outage map, Dominion Energy is estimating that power will be restored to the still-affected areas around 3-8 p.m. today. Spokesperson Peggy Fox reported around 8:30 a.m. that the company has 6,000 remaining outages at 240 different locations across the region.

There is at least one lingering road closure. Henderson Road near Seven Hills Lane in Clifton is still blocked by a downed tree, the Fairfax County Police Department tweeted, advising drivers to find alternate routes.

Last night, the department said debris and downed wires had closed “several secondary roads,” but no major ones, resulting in limited traffic impacts.

Overall, last night’s storms caused less damage than forecasters had feared. Warnings of potential tornadoes prompted facility closures and an early end to the work day for many, including local federal government employees.

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UPDATED: More than 16,000 without power in Fairfax County as storms roll through

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(Updated at 8:05 p.m.) Thousands of people in Fairfax County have been hit by power outages in the wake of a thunderstorm that’s continuing to march eastward toward D.C.

As of 7:15 p.m., there were 16,029 customers in Fairfax County and another 1,770 customers in Fairfax City without power, according to Dominion Energy’s outage map, which shows 90 separate outages.

The most sizable outages appear to be focused south of I-66, with thousands affected around Fairfax City, including around George Mason University’s campus, and Fairfax Station. Major outages also appear in Great Falls, Annandale and Lincolnia.

The outages may have affected the Burke Centre Library and the John Marshall Library in Rose Hill. Fairfax County Public Library says both branches were closed at 6:45 p.m. “due to facilities issues.”

While there have been no reports of hail or tornadoes yet, the storm has kept the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department busy with calls for downed wires and trees.

The department reported at 5:54 p.m. that it had units working 12 different calls for outside fires.

Road closures have also cropped up, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. A spokesperson says no major roads have been shut down, but “there are several secondary roads that may have debris or downed wires.”

“Due to inclement weather, multiple roads in Fairfax County are closed or blocked. #FCPD will respond and provide updates as soon as possible,” the department said on Twitter.

Metro, which has activated its Emergency Operations Center, is delaying trains and buses in some areas due to the weather.

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GW Parkway still partially closed as storm cleanup continues

Most of the GW Parkway’s northern section is closed as crews continue to remove trees knocked down by Saturday’s storm (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 1:35 p.m.) The ear-splitting thunder that accompanied Saturday’s rainstorm has faded, but efforts to clean up the resulting damage continue.

All southbound lanes on the northern section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in McLean and Arlington remained closed during rush hour this morning (Monday), as crews worked to remove fallen trees.

“Currently, the northern section (from Spout Run Parkway to I-495) continues to be closed, with the exception of the northbound lanes from Route 123 to I-495,” the National Park Service said last night, urging drivers “to use caution in the area.”

The cleanup effort is expected to take another three to four days, according to the park service, which has deployed five different teams to assist.

“These closures are necessary to ensure the removal of hazardous trees, including those that have fallen across the roadway and broken limbs that pose a risk to travel lanes,” the NPS said in an update shortly before 1:30 p.m.

According to Dominion Energy, 768 of its customers in Fairfax County are still without power, as of 9:30 a.m.

The largest outage is in the West Falls Church area along Sleepy Hollow Road, affecting 437 people. The estimated time of restoration is still undetermined “pending investigation,” according to the utility company’s outage map.

There are also still smaller outages scattered around the Seven Corners area, Springfield and the Richmond Highway corridor.

Over the past couple of days, Dominion has managed to restore power to most of the 128,000 customers in Virginia who experienced an outage during the storm on Saturday (July 29), including approximately 26,000 people in Fairfax County.

“This was a severe storm with winds as high as 60-80 mph, which caused significant damage to trees, branches and power lines,” Dominion said in a tweet yesterday, stating that its crews would continue working through the evening to restore electricity for all those still affected.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said it responded to 238 calls between 4:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday — double the call volume it sees on a typical summer Saturday.

Map via Google Maps

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Storm rolls through Fairfax County, knocking out trees and power

A storm-related power outage in Great Falls on June 27, 2023 (via Dominion Energy)

After failing to materialize yesterday, stormy weather showed up in force around the D.C. region this afternoon (Tuesday).

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Fairfax County and the rest of the area for around 2:11-3 p.m. The National Weather Service reported that the east-moving storm had reached the Oakton and Vienna area around 2:09 p.m., bringing 60-mph wind gusts and hail the size of quarters, according to Fairfax County.

“Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall,” the county’s emergency information blog said. “This could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by downed trees. Localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.”

As of 3 p.m., about 2,826 people in Fairfax County and Fairfax City have lost power, according to Dominion Energy.

Per the utility company’s outage map, the largest individual outages appear to be along Fairfax Blvd, where 914 customers are without power, and in Great Falls, where 509 customers are affected.

The Fairfax outage stems from an out circuit and is expected to be restored between 5-8 p.m. Dominion estimates a restoration time of 6-9 p.m. for the Great Falls outage, which is directly attributed to the storm.

In Tysons, downed trees were reportedly blocking the ramp from eastbound Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) to northbound Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road), according to the NWS.

Hail was confirmed in Reston by resident Robyn Matthews, but the storm moved relatively quickly, prompting the NWS to let the warning expire on time at 3 p.m.

“The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property,” a 2:51 p.m. update said. “Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. However gusty winds and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm.”

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Georgetown Pike car crash caused Saturday power outage in McLean area

A car crashed into a power switch box on Georgetown Pike, causing an outage from Great Falls to Tysons (courtesy anonymous)

About 1,400 people in the McLean and Great Falls area lost power Saturday night (May 20) due to a car crash on Georgetown Pike.

A photo sent to FFXnow shows a silver sedan that had smashed into a large green power box, coming to a rest against a streetlight.

The vehicle caused the outage when it crashed into the box, which had a power switch in it, according to Dominion Energy spokesperson Peggy Fox.

“Vehicle accidents are a common cause of power outages. There are transformers on poles and transformers on the ground and when vehicles hit them, they can and do cause outages,” Fox said, though she confirmed that this particular box wasn’t a transformer.

The outage mostly affected Great Falls and McLean, including Tysons. Georgetown Pike was closed between Kimberwicke Road and Potomac Knolls Drive for multiple hours, starting around 6:30 p.m., as crews worked to restore power, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The loss of electricity came just one day after a separate crash took down power lines on Old Courthouse Road.

That crash on Friday (May 19) involved a tractor-trailer that hit a pole near Lord Fairfax Road and got entangled in the power lines. The truck blocked Old Courthouse between Hull Road and Gallows Road, requiring a night-long closure for repairs.

The resulting power outage, though, was relatively limited, affecting fewer than 50 Dominion Energy customers, according to the utility’s outage map.

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High winds cause power outages in Fairfax County, fire on Georgetown Pike

High winds are causing power outages in Fairfax County, including in Great Falls and Oakton (via Dominion Energy)

(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) Hundreds of people in Fairfax County have lost electricity today (Tuesday) as winds buffet the D.C. region, taking out power lines and contributing to at least one fire.

Georgetown Pike is currently closed in both directions at Miller Avenue in Great Falls due to a tree that fell on power lines and “a resulting fire,” the Virginia Department of Transportation said shortly after 1 p.m.

The closure extends between Stephanie Circle and Ellsworth Avenue, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

“Expect delays for several hours as emergency and utility crews clear the scene,” VDOT tweeted.

That one outage has affected 277 Dominion Energy customers, according to the utility company’s outage map. Power isn’t expected to be restored there until 4-9 p.m.

Further south in the Vienna and Oakton area, Dominion crews are assessing the damage caused by the wind storm in the Lake Vale neighborhood. Power is now being restored to over 800 customers.

Vale Road has been closed between Hunter Mill Road and Stryker Avenue due to fallen power lines, according to Fairfax County police.

“The closure is expected to last several hours. Please use an alternate route,” the FCPD said.

While those are the largest outages reported so far, power losses and road closures due to fallen wires have been seen across the county today. As of 1:50 p.m., about 1,268 Dominion Energy customers in the county were without power.

The National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory that took effect at 9 a.m. today and will remain in place until 2 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday).

Winds have been consistently exceeding 40 mph, with some gusts topping 50 mph, according to the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang.

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