Fire at Emessa was accidental

Firefighters respond to two-alarm fire at Emessa. [FCFRD]

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department has determined that the fire at the Emessa restaurant was accidental and was started by an “electrical event within a commercial refrigerator.”

The restaurant, at 6315 Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners, had closed for good a few weeks before the fire, which occurred at about 1:15 a.m. on Dec. 15.


Firefighters from Fairfax County and Arlington County encountered fire on the roof of the single-story building, which also houses the Touch of Class Salon & Spa.

The fire went to a second alarm, which brought additional units from the City of Alexandria. Damages were estimated at $95,000.

One firefighter was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Fire alarms sounded, but no one was inside the building when the fire started. The fire was discovered by a passerby