Fire damages Bren Mar Park Elementary School
UPDATE: FCPS announced Bren Mar will be open on Monday.
A fire at Bren Mar Elementary School on Sunday afternoon filled the air with a huge cloud of black smoke.
When firefighters arrived, shortly before 3:30 p.m. on April 19, flames were showing on the roof of a two-story addition under construction. The school is located at 6344 Beryl Road in the Alexandria area of Mason District.
No one was inside the school, and no one was injured, said Battalion Chef Matthew Tamillow at a media briefing. If the fire had broken out two days earlier, when school was in session, “this could have been a very different operation.”
“Wind-driven conditions threatened nearby buildings,” Tamillow said, but firefighters were able to contain the fire to the addition, preventing it from spreading to the existing building and modular classrooms.
The fire drew about 20 firefighting units from the Annandale, Springfield, and Edsall Road fire stations in Fairfax County, along with crews from Arlington and Alexandria.
Fairfax County Fire Chief John Butler said there won’t be any information on the cause of the fire until the fire marshal’s office completes an investigation.
Fairfax County Public Schools hasn’t yet announced whether school will be canceled for Monday. Fire department officials took Bren Mar Park Principal C. Williams and Superintendent Michelle Reid inside the building to examine the damage.
FCPS schools are closed on Tuesday, April 21, for a special election on redistricting. Bren Mar Park Elementary School is the polling place for the Bren Mar precinct. Residents in the precinct should expect to receive a notice from the Office of Elections on where to vote.
It is not known to what extent the fire will delay the construction project, which is currently estimated to be completed in summer 2027. The addition will include a new cafeteria, library, and classrooms.
