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Fairfax County fire officials have released findings from an investigation into a live fire training incident that left a firefighter with a burn injury on Oct. 13, 2024.
The incident occurred at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Training Academy. Fire Chief John S. Butler subsequently assembled a multidisciplinary Significant Incident Investigation Team made up of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel and outside experts.
The team conducted more than 40 interviews and reviewed department documents and policies to identify contributing factors and recommend measures intended to prevent similar injuries.
Investigators also worked with UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute on controlled live fire experiments at the academy in May 2025. The tests, the first of their kind conducted by the department, recreated conditions relevant to the incident and measured how fuel load, ventilation and equipment capabilities affected fire behavior and firefighter safety.
Instruments positioned throughout the burn structure recorded temperature and heat-flux data, giving investigators a scientific basis for evaluating the thermal conditions firefighters faced.
Butler described the investigation as an important and humbling process focused on science, transparency and accountability. He said its lessons would help improve live fire training safety in Fairfax County and across the broader fire service.
The department released both the investigation’s final report and an accompanying video summary.