Multiple people were hurt Wednesday after a gas line exploded in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Officials said it happened around 12:40 p.m. in the 8500 block of Hooes Road in Springfield.
Multiple cars caught fire — three workers were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening and are expected to be OK.
According to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, there was a gas-fed fire involving a backhoe.
Officials said the gas company is on the scene.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano reported from the scene that the company had shut off one gas line, but another still needed to be turned off before the leak could be stopped.
Flames spewing from an underground gas leak 3 hurt NLT. 2 Washington Gas Vehicles burned in the explosion and fire that started around 12:30. WGL has shut down 1 line and must shut down a 2nd to stop the leak. 2 nearby homes evacuated @WTOP pic.twitter.com/JnbsRIuZEu
— Dick Uliano (@DickUliano) February 3, 2021
Neighborhood resident Don Jameson, a pastor at Sydenstricker Methodist Church, said he was told that crews were working on a “major leak” in the area. A little while later, he heard the explosion.
“I heard the initial explosion — it kind of rocked the house,” he said. “I saw the workers scurrying, it looked like they were dragging one person away.”
Jameson said he offered to open the church to those who were evacuated from the area so they could keep warm while crews worked to get the situation under control.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said the situation was under control and some of the responding vehicles had been dismissed.
Around 4 p.m., the fire department said both lines had been turned off and the fire was out. The line still needs to be repaired, and members of Fairfax Fire and Rescue will remain on scene to monitor the situation.
Washington Gas is investigating the cause of the explosion.
Watch more footage of the explosion below from WTOP news partner NBC Washington.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano and Zeke Hartner contributed to this report.
