An electric vehicle crashed and caught fire on the Dulles Access Road in Tysons yesterday (Wednesday), sending one person to the hospital.
Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched for an electric vehicle fire in the westbound lanes of the Dulles Access Road near Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) in Tysons at 5:03 p.m., according to the emergency scanner.
Though the incident was described on the scanner and by the fire department as a “multiple vehicle crash,” it actually only involved a single electric vehicle — specifically a Tesla, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).
“Airports Authority police worked the scene diverting traffic and then conducted an investigation,” an MWAA spokesperson said. “… Fairfax County Fire responded to the scene, extinguished the fire and transported the driver.”
The driver was taken to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. When asked about the conflicting description of the crash from MWAA, an FCFRD spokesperson told FFXnow that two cars other than the Tesla experienced “minor damage.”
According to the FCFRD, all westbound lanes of the Dulles Access Road and three lanes of the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) were closed as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.
NBC4 reporter Joseph Olmo reported that the closure slowed afternoon rush-hour traffic heading toward Dulles International Airport to a crawl.
“If you know anything about Tesla fires, vehicle fires, they’re not easy to put out. They can burn for hours,” Olmo said in an Instagram reel posted around 7:30 p.m. “The fire is now out, but the traffic is still here.”
According to MWAA, the closure lasted “for about two hours before the scene could be safely cleared.”
An investigation into the crash is underway. As of this morning, no charges have been filed, MWAA said.
#FCFRD on scene of a vehicle fire WB Dulles Access Rd near Leesburg Pike in Tysons. Just after 5pm units responded to multiple vehicle crash & an electric vehicle fire. 1 civilian transported non-life-threatening injuries. WB lanes of Dulles Access Rd & 3 lanes of Rt 267 closed. pic.twitter.com/LBLeJeOeoZ
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) May 20, 2026
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Hat tip to Jamie Rogers
