$2.7M Leesburg Blaze Sparked By Electrical Failure Leveled Structure Overnight

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A Virginia fire that tore through a metal building early Saturday racked up an estimated $2.7 million in damage, investigators said — a price tag so high it stopped firefighters in their tracks.

The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office said the massive loss came from an “unspecified electrical event” inside an electrical power distribution panel, which sparked the blaze on Loyalty Road in the Catoctin District.

Fire crews from Lucketts, Hamilton, Purcellville, Leesburg, Lovettsville, and Frederick County, Maryland were dispatched around 3:35 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, officials said. 

When they arrived, the building was already burning.

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue

With no municipal water in the area, a Tanker Task Force had to be called in to haul water to the scene while firefighters set up a defensive attack from outside. Crews spent more than an hour knocking down the bulk of the fire and stayed for several more hours conducting an overhaul.

No injuries were reported.

Officials said the structure was destroyed, and the final damage estimate — about $2.7 million — underscores just how fast an electrical failure can wipe out an entire building before sunrise.