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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Updated 4 p.m. March 11, 2024: Searchers located the body of a woman who went missing after her kayak capsized on Lake Arrowhead. The 48-year-old victim has not been identified. There there are no signs of foul play, a Stafford sheriff’s spokesman said.
The woman was not wearing a life jacket. Investigators are still trying to determine how the boat capsized.
Fire and rescue crews were called to a townhouse fire in the 10100 block of Cannon Ball Court near Manassas on Monday, March 4, at 10:09 p.m.
The occupants smelled smoke and discovered a fire on the home’s first floor. Prince William County Assistant Fire and Rescue Chief Matt Smolksy said all were safely evacuated before the arrival of fire and rescue units.
On Friday, March 1, 2024, at 3:07 p.m., emergency response units were dispatched to the 2400 block of Port Potomac Avenue in Woodbridge following reports of a house fire. Upon arrival, crews from Prince William fire and rescue found a single-family house engulfed in heavy flames, with the fire rapidly spreading throughout the structure.
The occupants of the home had already evacuated safely upon discovering the blaze. Despite the swift action of the responders, the fire caused extensive damage to the dwelling, rendering it unsafe for occupancy as determined by the Building Official.
On Saturday, February 24, 2024, emergency responders rushed to the scene of a house fire in the 15000 block of Michigan Road in Woodbridge. Around 8:59 p.m., the incident prompted a swift and coordinated response from local fire departments.
According to initial reports from Prince William County Fire and Rescue Lt. Matt Smolksy, the fire was discovered by one of the occupants, who detected the smell of smoke emanating from the residence. Acting quickly, the individual investigated further and observed flames emerging from the side of the structure.
