Dulles Expo Will Be Alternative Care Center
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly is being turned into an alternative care center, for the foreseeable future. It’ll basically function as a field hospital, able to accept 315 acute-care patients or 510 non-acute patients.
Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement during a press conference, last Friday, April 3. The move will free up capacity at other nearby hospitals, including Inova Fair Oaks, Inova Fairfax and the Reston Hospital Center. The repurposed facility is expected to be ready for use in six weeks.
Located at 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, the popular Expo Center normally hosts a full slate of craft fairs, shows and other exhibitions, all year ’round. Now, though, said Northam, it’s been selected as the best spot for Northern Virginia’s alternative care site because it’s the place “where construction can proceed the fastest.”
Fatal Hit-and-Run in Centreville
A woman died in the early-morning hours of Thursday, April 2, from injuries suffered in a hit-and-run crash, around 12:51 a.m. at Lee Highway and Prince Way in Centreville. Fairfax County police said she was a pedestrian and have identified her as Adriana Swinson, 60, of Centreville.
Detectives from the Crash Reconstruction Unit preliminarily determined that she was in the southbound lanes of Lee Highway when she was struck by a passing car. The driver fled the scene, and a description of the car is currently not available.
Anyone with information about the driver or car is asked to call the Crash Reconstruction Unit at 703-280-0543. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to Crime Solvers, by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by texting “FCCS” plus the tip to 847411, and at http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org/. Tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 if their information leads to an arrest.
Discarded Smoking Materials Cause Townhouse Fire
Fire officials say improperly discarded smoking materials caused a townhouse fire, last Thursday, April 2, in the 14600 block of Flower Hill Court in Centreville. Units were dispatched around 3:36 p.m., with the first arrivals encountering smoke showing from the front of the two-story structure.
A large amount of fire was also coming from the back, but firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze to limit extension into the home. Two people were home when it started; one noticed fire coming from an outlet and then saw the flames on the back deck. They left the house and called 911.
Fire investigators determined that the fire was accidental and started on the deck. No one was injured, but both residents were displaced. Damages were estimated at approximately $93,750.