FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. – A massive fire at a five-story building in Groveton in Fairfax County closed Route 1 for hours Saturday.
Fire crews were called to the 2800 block of Poag Street for a building fire around 9:40 a.m.
Fairfax County Fire Chief John Butler said two buildings under construction were fully engulfed when firefighters arrived.
"The fire had spread to some adjacent buildings, some of which included some under construction townhomes," Butlertold WUSA.
Officials said at least one firefighter and another person suffered minor injuries in the five-alarm blaze.
Witnesses said thick, black smoke could be seen for miles. A man traveling on a plane that had just taken off from Reagan National Airport captured video from the sky that showed thick smoke billowing into the air.
Simon Melendez shared this video with us. Shows a building partially collapsing while a huge fire raged in the Alexandria area of Fairfax Co. this morning.
— Tom Roussey (@tomrousseyABC7) February 8, 2020
The buildings that burned were under construction & part of a giant future mixed-use development with hundreds of apartments pic.twitter.com/AVzLYFHyaO
The fire was marked under control around 5 p.m., according to WJLA.
Dominion Energy shutoff power to about 800 customers nearby as a precaution.
There is no word yet on what sparked the fire.
