Office of the Fire Marshal Fire Prevention Division Fire Investigations Branch Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Location: Burkholder Building 10700 Page Avenue Fairfax, Virginia 22030 Telephone: 703-246-4741, Fax: 703-293-9476 TTY: 703-385-4419

OVERVIEW: The Fire Investigations Branch is responsible for determining the origin and cause of fires in a effort to prevent future occurrences. The types of fires investigated include; large loss fires, fires of suspicious nature, fires involving personal injury, and explosions that occur within Fairfax County and the towns of Clifton, Herndon, and Vienna. The Fire Investigations Branch is also the home of an ATF certified Accelerant Detection Canine Team.

FIRE REPORT REQUEST (FOIA): The Fire Investigations Branch periodically receives requests for copies of fire event reports. The following information is provided to clarify the process for obtaining a fire event report through a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA). Fire event reports come in two forms: Fire Incident Reports and Fire Investigation Reports.

Fire Incident Reports: These reports are prepared by Fire Department Uniform Personnel and contain basic event information and will be available for all fire events responded to by the Fire and Rescue Department. The Information Technology Section of the Fire and Rescue Department is the point of contact for obtaining copies of Fire Incident Reports through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. For additional inforamation please call 703-246-3992.

Fire Investigation Reports: These reports contain detailed information concerning the origin and cause of the fire, and are not prepared for every fire event. For fire events classified as either "Incendiary", "Under Investigation" or "Undetermined", only the report cover sheet will be released. Active criminal fire investigation reports will not be released, and completed Fire Investigation reports may not be available until at least 30 days from the date of the incident. The Fire Prevention Division's Revenue and Records Branch is the point of contact for obtaining copies of Fire Investigation Reports through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. For additional inforamation please call 703-246-4803.