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Tag: centreville

  • Remaining families evacuated near Centerville home explosion could be back home by Tuesday night – WTOP News

    The remaining families forced to evacuate due to a gas leak and home explosion in Centerville, Virginia, will be able to return to their homes soon.

    The remaining families forced to evacuate due to a gas leak and home explosion in Centerville, Virginia, will be able to return to their homes soon.

    Assistant Chief of Operations for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Eric Craven says final testing is wrapping up at the homes of the remaining 19 families displaced.

    “We anticipate that most of these will be cleared for reoccupation within the next 24 hours. We will not move forward until the conditions support it,” Craven said.

    The explosion happened Feb. 9 on Quail Pond Court, injuring the person living in the home and their neighbor.

    Speaking at a recent news conference, Jason Weekley, senior vice president of utility operations for Washington Gas, tried to reassure residents who live in the area about their work to fix the leak.

    “We’ve conducted multiple safety surveys, multiple leak surveys, so we’re very confident in the safety of the system in this area,” Weekley said.

    Weekley described a multipoint process that’s been used by Washington Gas since the explosion to determine if it’s safe to allow people to return.

    He declined to comment about reports of smells of gas in the area, some occurring the day before the explosion.

    Weekley said the National Transportation Safety Board will issue a final report on the cause of leak, the explosion and next steps for safety in about 30 days.

    After a week of testing, Washington Gas found and repaired the source of the gas leak.

    “Investigators identified a section of polyethylene plastic pipe near the corner of Quail Pond Court and Belle Plains Drive that leaked air during pressure testing,” the NTSB said in a news release.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Kyle Cooper

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  • Utility company finds, repairs gas leak following Centreville house explosion – WTOP News

    Nine days after a house explosion in Centreville, Virginia, Washington Gas says it has found and repaired the source of the leak.

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    More residents returning home following Centreville house explosion

    Nine days after a house explosion in Centreville, Virginia, Washington Gas said it has found and repaired the source of the gas leak.

    Residents who live near the house explosion on Quail Pond Court were forced out of their homes as officials investigated which of the five gas pipelines in the neighborhood may have contributed to the blast on Feb. 15.

    “After completing multiple pressure tests, we gradually reintroduced gas into the
    system and conducted a leak survey at each stage,” Washington Gas said Tuesday.

    The National Transportation Safety Board has led the investigation and plans to release a report within 30 days.

    “Investigators identified a section of polyethylene plastic pipe near the corner of Quail Pond Court and Belle Plains Drive that leaked air during pressure testing,” the NTSB said in a news release.

    The NTSB said a section of the pipe will be tested at a laboratory in D.C. to figure out what caused its failure.

    According to the safety board, its team directed Washington Gas to test the surrounding area and no additional leaks were found.

    Tuesday morning, crews from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue were on the scene, conducting safety checks in the neighborhood.

    “With all checks completed and in coordination with our customers, we have begun restoring service and relighting appliances for the remaining homes,” Washington Gas said.

    Many of the impacted residents have been given the all-clear to return home, but Washington Gas said 19 homes are still under the evacuation order.

    On Sunday, the agency said clearance had been granted to restore gas service to 42 of the 44 impacted homes in the neighborhood.

    Most of the nearby homes had their gas service cut after the blast, which left two people with minor injuries and displaced residents.

    According to Washington Gas, “The evacuation remains in effect. You should not return to your home until you receive direct communication from Fairfax County officials letting you know it is safe to do so.”

    For homes that remain under the evacuation order, Washington Gas said it will work with the fire department to enter each home, once cleared to do so, to perform a leak check on the home’s gas piping and reactivate appliances safely.

    As a final step, the fire department will conduct a safety check inside each home, and make the determination whether it is safe for residents to return.

    Washington Gas to reimburse displaced residents

    The utility said it will continue to cover temporary lodging for people in the neighborhood who have been out of their homes since the blast.

    In addition, residents who incurred hotel or temporary lodging expenses due to the evacuation are eligible for reimbursement.

    According to Washington Gas: To submit a request, please email ombudsman@washgas.com and include the following:

    • Your name and address
    • Telephone number
    • Dates of displacement
    • Copies of receipts

    The utility said only one set of receipts will be accepted per household, and all reimbursement requests must be received by March 31.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Jessica Kronzer

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  • Utility crews start restoring gas service to nearby homes following Centreville house explosion – WTOP News

    Crews are restoring gas service to homes in Fairfax County, Virginia, nearly a week after a house explosion in Centreville on Feb. 15.

    Utility crews have started restoring gas service to dozens of homes in Fairfax County, Virginia, nearly a week after a house explosion on Quail Pond Court in Centreville on Feb. 15.

    Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said clearance has been granted to restore gas service to 41 additional homes in the neighborhood. Most of nearby homes had their gas service cut after the blast, which left two people with minor injuries and displaced residents from 40 to 50 homes.

    Washington Gas said technicians are moving ahead. “Our technicians are preparing to begin this work and will proceed immediately,” the utility said in a Saturday news release. “Each home will be restored following our established safety protocols, and our teams will be onsite to guide residents through the process and answer any questions.”

    Washington Gas said it is also providing HVAC services if needed will cover the cost of restoring appliances for affected residents.

    About 30 families remained displaced as of Saturday.

    Once gas service is restored, each home will undergo a comprehensive atmospheric monitoring assessment to ensure there are no hazardous gas readings and to confirm the structure is safe to occupy.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Tadiwos Abedje

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  • Investigators comb scene of Centreville home explosion searching for gas leak – WTOP News

    The search continues for a gas leak in the Centreville, Virginia, neighborhood where a house exploded Sunday night, injuring at least two people.

    Fire crews in Fairfax County, Virginia, respond to a house fire in Centreville that callers say started after a loud explosion on Feb. 15, 2026. (Courtesy Fairfax County Fire and Rescue)

    The search continues for a gas leak in the Centreville, Virginia, neighborhood where a house exploded Sunday night, injuring at least two people and sending dozens of families out of their homes.

    Officials with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue are expected to provide an update in the investigation at 11:30 a.m.

    The house explosion happened in the 14300 block of Quail Pond Court, off Buggy Whip Drive, at around 9:45 p.m. Sunday.

    A man inside the house was able to escape without the help of firefighters and sustained injuries that officials said were minor. Another neighbor also had injuries that were not life-threatening.

    Roads nearby the house have been blocked off since the explosion and fire officials are going door-to-door measuring gas levels.

    Washington Gas continues to dig nearby, trying to determine where the leak is coming from. There are four gas lines that run behind the home that exploded.

    If the spot where crews have been digging is not the source of the issue, that could lead to wider evacuations until the leak is found.

    Until that happens, people who are currently displaced will not be able to return to their homes.

    At least 51 houses were deemed unsafe to be inside by fire officials.

    WTOP saw Fairfax County firefighters begin to knock on doors at homes on Buggy Whip Drive Tuesday.

    One neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said she just got word she had to leave her home.

    “We left this morning and came back and found out that we have now have to evacuate,” she said “We thought we might, but we weren’t positive, because we were on the other side of the road. So we thought we were safe.”

    This is a developing story. Stick with WTOP for the latest.

    WTOP’s Neal Augenstein and Luke Lukert contributed to this report.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Luke Lukert

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  • Make-A-Wish sends miracle kid from Centreville to Italy – WTOP News

    Ella Murray has epidermolysis bullosa and received a trip to Italy from the Make-A-Wish foundation.

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    Make-A-Wish sends miracle kid from Centreville to Italy

    The first Monday of 2026 is a date 18-year-old Ella Murray will never forget.

    The Centreville, Virginia, recent high school graduate was visited by staff members of Make-A-Wish, and they asked her to look out the front door.

    “That’s when I saw the parade,” Murray said. “Today is my wish celebration.”

    There were 60 people marching behind a Make-A-Wish themed tour bus in this parade right in front of her house, letting Murray know that her wish had been granted.

    On Tuesday, Murray will be joined by her parents and younger siblings on a weeklong trip to Italy.

    When WTOP asked her why she picked Italy, Murray answered, “Mainly for the food.”

    Not only will Murray be eating her way around Italy, she also will be taking three different cooking classes.

    “One seafood, one gelato making and one pizza making,” she said.

    Make-A-Wish had an after parade party where they had Timber Pizza Co. making woodfire pizza outside in their driveway along with a gelato station.

    Murray’s parents said they couldn’t be more appreciative to Make-A-Wish for granting their daughter’s wish and they couldn’t be prouder of her.

    Murray was born with a very rare, painful connective tissue disorder.

    “I have epidermolysis bullosa — EB for short. Basically, my skin is just really, really fragile, and so I get wounds very easily,” she said.

    “She’s really incredibly cognitively sharp. She loves life, is an incredible testimony to perseverance, faith and just being a kid,” her father Joseph said.

    Murray’s mom Katie said, like all Make-A-Wish kids, her daughter is a miracle.

    “She wasn’t supposed to be here for 18 years, and she is. I am so in awe that she is here and thriving, and we are able to experience this with her,” Katie said.

    Jimmy Alexander

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