Investigators looking for info about “person of interest” in Virginia Lodge fire

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department investigators are asking the public to help them identify a man they say is a “person of interest” in Monday’s fire at the Virginia Lodge motel.

Investigators released images Thursday of a man captured on a security camera, and said he’s between 5-foot-8 inches and 5-foot-10 inches tall and around 225 pounds. The fire department did not say if the man was a suspect, only that they wanted to talk with him to get more information.

Monday’s fire at the motel, located at 6027 Richmond Highway (see map), caused approximately $50,000 worth of damage. Nobody was injured in the blaze, which the fire department said was confined to one room. Adjacent rooms and an awning area were also damaged by smoke.

A spokeswoman for the fire department said Thursday that no determination on the cause has been made yet. She would not confirm or deny whether arson was suspected.

Anyone with information about the person of interest to call Capt. Tim Palmer at 703-246-7407.