Transformer fire reported on Mount Vernon Avenue during Alexandria outages

What happened

On 8 September 2026, the Alexandria Fire Department was reported to have responded to a transformer fire at Mount Vernon Avenue and E. Nelson Avenue shortly before 7 a.m. Over 6,900 Dominion Energy customers were without power at the peak of an earlier outage, concentrated around Richmond Highway in Potomac Yard and Del Ray and in Old Town North. Most of those outages were reported resolved around 9 a.m. A local official said the cause was likely a blown transformer on Mount Vernon Avenue.

By 11 a.m., more than 4,300 customers were without power in North Ridge, Fairlington/Bradlee, Seminary Hill, Taylor Run, Rosemont and Del Ray. Dominion Energy attributed that later outage to a circuit being out and estimated restoration between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Whether the later outage shared a cause with the transformer fire, and when power was fully restored, was not reported.

Contributing factors

A blown transformer on Mount Vernon Avenue was reported as the likely cause of the earlier outage. The utility attributed the later outage to a circuit being out. No confirmed technical cause was reported.

Lessons learned

1. Treat early reports of a blown transformer as provisional until the utility confirms the failed equipment.
2. Keep successive outages in the same area separate until a shared cause is established.
3. Record peak customer counts, affected neighbourhoods and estimated restoration times so later reports can be checked.

Source

alxnow.com