Fire and rescue crews were called to a fire at Lake Ridge Orthodontics today, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 5:31 a.m.
Prince William County Fire and Rescue units were dispatched to the 2000 block off of Old Bridge Road in Lake Ridge earlier this morning for a report from a passerby of fire through the roof of an office building.
Crews arrived with heavy fire showing from a two-story office building. Large master streams were utilized to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported, but four businesses have been displaced.
Crews are still on the scene, extinguishing hot spots and conducting overhauls. The Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting the fire cause investigation.
Two people were displaced from a home in Montclair after a candle torched a mattress.
Fire and rescue crews were called to the 15200 block of Larkspur Lane at 11:43 p.m. Sunday, March 24, 2024, for a reported house fire.
Crews learned about the candle igniting a mattress and found heavy smoke conditions on the second floor. The two occupants had safely evacuated the home.
The fire was located and extinguished. No injuries were reported. The Building Official declared the structure was unsafe to occupy. T
The Red Cross assisted the two displaced adults.
The Prince William County fire marshal says allowing an open flame near combustible material is dangerous.
The Fire Marshal’s Office warns against using candles. If candles are used, special precautions should be taken.
He added, never leave a burning candle unattended. Never position a candle where it can be easily disturbed or knocked over.
Keep the candle at least 3’ from any combustible material. Ensure the candle is secured in a sturdy holder that contains and protects the flame. Children and pets should always be monitored near any burning candle.
Prince William County fire and rescue crews were called to a house fire today, Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 4 a.m.
Units were dispatched to the 4500 block of Lawnvale Drive near Haymarket where a bathroom ceiling fan fire had ignited material inside a wall.
Crews extinguished the blaze. No injuries were reported. The house sustained moderate damage and was determined to be unsafe to occupy by the Building Official.
The Red Cross assisted three three adults displaced by the incident.
Prince William County fire officials say all brush fires have been extinguished.
Firefighters responded to 39 brush fires across the county on Wednesday, March 2024, including blazes in Dale City, Locust Shade Park near Quantico, and Nokesville.
The fires closed Route 1, causing significant delays for those trying to exit Quantico Marine Corps Base. The road reopened about 9 p.m.
No injuries were reported, and the fires damaged no structures. Crews will return to the scene of the fires today to clean up and put out any hot spots. The fire locations were heavily wooded, making it difficult to extinguish the flames fully.
Prince William fire and rescue Assistant Chief Matt Smolksy:
There are no active fires in the County as of 8:00 AM this morning.
Crews were in position to keep an eye on the Locust Shade fire during the night hours. This morning, units went back to the scene to extinguish hot spots. We will continue to monitor the site today and conduct additional clean up activities as needed. The area involved can be described as heavily wooded with deep ground cover making it extremely difficult to fully extinguish. Smoke and the smell of smoke will most likely linger in the area for some time. There is no threat to any structures or residents in the area.
The weather is predicted to be slightly better today. The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement for elevated fire weather conditions across the entire region through this evening. The biggest factor that will help is the prediction of weaker winds today, but other conditions will continue to dry fine fuels (vegetation). However, rain is on the way being forecasted for Friday evening into Saturday.
A rainy Friday and Saturday are in store; rain could sometimes be heavy.
On Friday, expect rain, mainly after 8 p.m., with as much as half and three-quarters of an inch possible. On Saturday, expect rain again and a high temperature of nearly 58 degrees.
Quantico Mayor Kevin Brown says the Marine Corps base in which his town sits will not open a closed gate that would provide emergency crews easier access to the town while brush fires rage and traffic remains snarled for five miles.
Brown said he placed multiple requests to Quantico Marine Corps Base officials to open a gate on Broadway Street. Brown said the additional access would make it easier for fire and rescue crews to access the town in an emergency.
Brown’s request was met with a “no,” and military police officers laughed at him on the phone, he said. Meanwhile, he’s still working to escalate his request higher up in the Marine Corps command chain.
The requests come as a line of cars stretches from Hosptial Point through town and up the nearly five-mile stretch of Russell Road to the base’s main gate near Dumfries.
A series of brush fires closed a portion of Route 1. Emergency crews are working to douse the flames. Drivers stuck in the backup have been texting us information and photos of what they see to 571-989-1695.
Quantico erected the gate at Broadway Street in 2020, following heightened base security rules following the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani on January 2, 2020.
Brown said Quantico opened the gate this past weekend, March 16 and 17, to allow work on the railroad to commence. The gate was closed again on the evening of March 17.
For at least two years, Brown and members of his town council have petitioned to relax those restrictions and open the Broadway gate. Brown says trains often block the town’s main entrance at Potomac Avenue, preventing anyone, including emergency vehicles, from entering or exiting.
Earlier this month, Insidenova.com reported that a Montclair resident has filed a complaint in federal court against the Department of the Navy, alleging constitutional violations in restrictions on access to the town of Quantico.
Jennifer Nikolaisen claims the Navy-Marine Corps Installation Commander’s Interim Access Control Policy has caused a violation of First and Fifth Amendment rights by restricting access to the use of Fuller Road, which is the primary point of access to and from the town of Quantico, where Nikolaisen owns private property.
Route 1 at the Prince William County/Stafford County line is closed due to a brush fire, the Stafford sheriff reports on X.
That has prompted a significant back up for people trying to get off Quantico Marine Corps Base. Phyllis Thibodeaux sent us the photo above. “Trying to get off Quantico base to 95. Been stuck in traffic for three hours,” she texted Potomac Local.
Thibodeaux is sitting in her car on Russell Road, trying to reach the base’s main gate near Dumfries. We’ve asked her to text us again to tell us when she gets moving.
Her delays, and those for many other area drivers, come as firefighters in both counties have been working several brush fires all afternoon since about 1 o’clock.
“It’s been a very busy afternoon,” said Prince William Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Matt Smolksy.
A total of 39 outside and brush fires have been dispatched since Noon today. The majority of those are small fires, but Prince William fire crews are working three larger fires at the following locations:
4700 blk Locust Shade & Rt 1. – units still actively fighting a brush fire. This incident was also reported on Richmond Highway/Russell Road. Richmond Hwy NB is closed for FD operations.
2800 block Dale Blvd. (this fire is extinguished)
10600 block of Parkgate Drive in Nokesville (this fire is nearly extinguished)
“It appears things are quieting down. All fires are under control, and the number of dispatches has slowed. More normal weather conditions are predicted for tomorrow,” said Smolksy.
No injuries or damage to structures have been reported. Prince William fire crews received help from Quantico, Manassas, Manassas Park, Stafford, and Fairfax counties.
In Stafford County, crews have been working on three larger fires for the majority of the afternoon. We’ll have more on that as we have it.
Earlier today, the National Weather Service issued a “red flag” warning for the entire region up until 8 p.m. The combination of dry conditions, low humidity, and strong gusty winds of up to 50 and 60 mph have created favorable conditions for the rapid spread of these fires.
Please email or text your photos to 571-989-1695. More as we have it.
Units responded to the 16300 block of Waterfall Road, near Haymarket for a report of a house fire. Crews arrived to find a fire rapidly spreading throughout the structure. Due to the volume of fire, structural conditions deteriorated quickly hampering fire extinguishment efforts. The incident location also required water to be shuttled in by tankers.
The Building Official declared the home unsafe to occupy displacing one adult. The Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed the fire was ignited when the occupant was operating a lawn mower that caught fire igniting vegetation before spreading to the home.
The Fire Marshal’s Office recommends vegetation capable of burning be kept a minimum of 3 feet away from a structure. This includes dried leaves, tall grass, and bushes.
A fire marshal was called to the Woodbridge intersection of Minnieville and Caton Hill roads.
Flames were seen after bushes outside the Woodbridge Islamic School, at 13385 Minniveille Road, caught fire at about 8:20 p.m. It’s unclear how the fire started, and we don’t have any reports of injuries.
A county fire and rescue spokesman said they don’t know how the fire started.
If you see breaking news, take a photo and send it to [email protected] or text us at 571-989-1695, and tell us the time and location of where you took the photo.
On Friday, March 8, 2024, units were dispatched to the 6100 Block of Oust Lane in Dale City for a reported house. Crews arrived at about 1:30 p.m. to find the occupants out of the home and located the fire in a second-floor bedroom.
Find more information in a Prince William County Fire and Rescue press release:
Hose lines were advanced quickly, and extinguishment was performed. The structure unfortunately sustained moderate damage. No injuries were reported.
The Building Official declared the home unsafe to occupy. The Red Cross responded and assisted the family of 5 adults and 15 children who were displaced. The Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was caused by a candle igniting bedding material.
Allowing an open flame near any combustible material is dangerous. The Fire Marshal’s Office warns against the use of candles. If candles are used special precautions should be taken.
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- Never positioned a candle where it can be easily disturbed or knocked over. Keep the candle at least 3’ from any combustible material.
- Ensure the candle is secured in a sturdy holder where the flame is contained and protected.
- Children and pets should always be monitored in the vicinity of a burning candle.