Fire at Leesburg Station Auto Wash

Black smoke filled the air in Leesburg as a two-alarm fire ravaged the After Care-Detailing Center of the Leesburg Station Auto Wash at 149 Catoctin Circle SE on Thursday evening, May 21. Explosions were heard as firemen battled the blaze from overhead using aerial apparatus, and from the ground. .

The 911 call reporting a fire at the Leesburg Station Auto Wash was received by Loudoun County Emergency Communication shortly before 7:30 p.m. The business was closed at the time of the fire. Loudoun Rescue Station 13, located adjacent to the Auto Wash, arrived almost immediately at the scene.

Additional emergency services personnel from Leesburg, Loudoun Rescue, Hamilton, Ashburn and Lucketts responded as well.

The significant fire conditions and the large amount of fire and smoke from the building resulted in initial “defensive tactics” and a second alarm being requested for additional crews.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire within an hour, but remained on the scene until much later to extinguish hot spots.

The Leesburg Station Auto Wash is considered a town architectural gem and had previously won several awards, including the Town of Leesburg Innovation Award, Town of Leesburg Architectural Excellence Award, Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year, Community Appearance Award, and Signatures of Loudoun Design Excellence Award. 

Interviewed at the scene, business owner Tom Magazzine explained that the car washing equipment in the Exterior Wash Tunnel building at the rear of the business was not affected, and that damage from the fire had been confined to the After Care/Detailing Center where customers’ interior work was done.

“The auto wash was something we put our hearts and souls into,” said Maggazine, vowing to rebuild, adding that the firefighters had done a “heroic job” saving the second building.

There were no injuries among the employees or customers at the Auto Wash. However, “Two firefighters were transported to the Cornwall Campus to be checked out for minor injuries, possibly fatigue and heat exhaustion,” said Loudoun Fire-Rescue spokesperson Mary Maguire.

Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services officials described the burned building as a "total loss," with damage estimated at $2 million. According to Dustin Sternbeck of the Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services, Loudoun County Fire Marshal Keith Brower was scheduled to meet with investigators and others involved in the incident on May 26 to go over details surrounding the circumstances of the fire. Their findings will be forthcoming.