Three people died Sunday, Sept. 6, after their Honda Pilot struck the rear of a truck hauling oxygen tanks on westbound Interstate 66 in Dunn Loring, Virginia State Police said.

The collision happened around 4:10 p.m. in the I-66 Express Lanes at mile marker 64.3, near the I-495 interchange and the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station, according to FFXnow. The truck was stopped in the lanes when the Honda struck it. The SUV caught fire, and all three occupants, including the driver, died at the scene.

Virginia State Police said in a Monday, Sept. 7, press release that a Toyota 4Runner was also involved in the events leading up to the crash. After consulting with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, police charged the drivers of both the Toyota and the truck with reckless driving.

The identities of the three victims have not been released. As of Monday, state police said they were still working to notify next of kin.

WTOP reported an explosion at the scene, consistent with the truck's oxygen cargo. VDOT Northern Virginia posted on X that three left lanes on westbound I-66 near I-495 were closed for the crash response, urging drivers to use alternate routes. The express lanes reopened shortly before 11 p.m.

Preliminary state data through July showed 30 people had died in crashes countywide in 2026, according to FFXnow reporting on an earlier fatal crash.

The fatal collision came less than two weeks after Virginia State Police wrapped up Operation DISS-rupt, a traffic enforcement blitz targeting all 76 miles of I-66 from Aug. 22-24. During a similar operation in February, troopers cited 53 drivers for reckless driving, 53 for distracted driving and 66 for speeding, according to the Fairfax County Times.

"Putting an extra focus on safe driving, right as school starts and colleges get underway, is strategic," Capt. Jean-Paul Koushel, commander of the Virginia State Police Fairfax Field Division, said in August when announcing the operation. "There's no better time to promote safety, and hopefully, decrease the number of fatalities we see on the roads."

The crash remains under investigation. Virginia State Police have not announced a court date for the two reckless driving charges or released further details about the circumstances.