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About 30 families remained displaced as Fairfax County officials monitored conditions and continued repairs near a Buggy Whip Drive home destroyed by a natural gas explosion last Sunday.
The blast injured two people and prompted gas shutoffs across much of the surrounding Centreville neighborhood. Residents are waiting to learn when the leak will be repaired, utility service will return and evacuated households can safely go home.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials announced a multistep reentry plan but did not say when it would begin. Officials also had not scheduled a community briefing to discuss the repair work or provide a timeline for restoring access and gas service.
Evacuated residents will receive an online form and must check in at Mobile Command Post 402 outside 5422 Buggy Whip Drive. Officials said the process will help incident commanders account for residents and coordinate their return in a controlled sequence.
Before electrical service is restored, the Fire and Rescue Department will confirm that each affected home can be safely energized.
Gas company crews will then reconnect service and relight pilot lights and appliances under the company’s safety procedures. Afterward, a Fire and Rescue crew will enter each residence to conduct atmospheric monitoring and check for hazardous gas readings.
Once a home is cleared for occupancy, Fire and Rescue personnel will help its residents return and resettle.
Fairfax County said the coordinated process is designed to ensure every residence is thoroughly evaluated before residents go back inside.
Some neighbors, however, are pressing officials to install remote sensors near pipelines and homes to provide earlier warnings of future leaks.
Resident Glen Yorkdale said he wants specific answers about what sensors could be installed, how they would work, who would monitor them and who would be responsible for responding.
Yorkdale said residents were told at a Tuesday morning meeting to report odors to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue if they smell gas. He called that approach unacceptable and argued that modern technology should provide a better warning system.