On Thursday, January 23, 2025, the Fredericksburg Fire Department responded to a fire at 227 Germania Street in the Mill District. Firefighters arrived within minutes to find smoke coming from the basement of a one-story building housing a barber shop and beauty salon on the first floor and apartments in the basement.
Crews extinguished a kitchen fire within five minutes, searched the building, and found no occupants. Three cats were located unharmed. Two residents were displaced as Dominion Energy disconnected the power for safety. No injuries were reported. Due to icy conditions, City Public Works sent a sand truck to treat the street after the fire.
Earlier that day, the Fredericksburg Fire and Rescue Water Rescue Team conducted ice rescue training at Twin Lakes Community, utilizing recent sustained low temperatures that allowed waterways to freeze. “We are rarely able to conduct this training, as the temperatures have to be low for a sustained amount of time for the waterways to freeze enough,” the department shared on Facebook.
Officials warned residents that the ice remains dangerously thin and advised against venturing onto frozen waterways, citing warming temperatures expected to reach the upper 30s to low 50s by midweek. The National Weather Service predicts milder conditions in the coming days, contrasting with the frigid temperatures earlier this week when highs struggled to reach the mid-20s. The Fire Department emphasized safety during ice rescues, noting that personnel use specialized equipment to stay warm and buoyant during training exercises. Residents are urged to stay off the ice and encourage others to do the same.
