29 Diner Fire: No Injuries In Blaze After Business Hours

FAIRFAX, VA — Multiple fire crews responded to a blaze at the 29 Diner at Chainbridge Road and Fairfax Boulevard in the city of Fairfax Tuesday night. The fire was out by 7:30 p.m.

Fire department officials told Patch it’s too early to say what the cause of the fire was.

Michele St. John, a waitress at the restaurant, got a call from the owner to see what was going at the diner. She told Patch she had been at the diner earlier in the day and said the business was locked up when the fire was reported, with nobody inside the building.

Fairfax City Police said there is a road closure because of fire department activity at 10536 Fairfax Blvd. in Fairfax.

Peter Rhoads, battalion chief with the Fairfax City Fire Department, said firefighters were called out at 6 p.m. for the report of a fire at the back of the 29 Diner. That’s what fire personnel found when they arrived.

Firefighters started cleanup operations and some rescue vehicles began leaving to return to service about 7:30 p.m.

Twitter users commented on the fire at the beloved restaurant. One said, "The owner fed poor and homeless for free during covid."

The restaurant’s website notes that it operates a free food pantry and food kitchen.

“29 Diner’s free food pantry and free food kitchen serves our at risk youth and their families in our community," the business said online. "We are open 7 days a week from 8 am until 8 pm providing free hot meals, free non-perishable foods, free refrigerated food, free household items and free healthcare items. Our free mobile food pantry & free food truck provide free pop up food locations in our community and deliveries to food insecure families in our community. Your kind donations has allowed us to feed over 30,000 at risk members in our community! Please continue to donate & give!”

A Patch reporter is at the scene; refresh this page for updates.