JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — An underground fire has caused a parking lot to partially collapse Saturday morning, the James City County Fire Department (JCCFD) said.
Officials held a press conference giving an update on the situation at 1:30 p.m. outside of the site of the fire on Monday.
James City County Fire Chief Ryan Ashe explained during the conference that the underground fire is still going, and while the smoke has increased, testing from the Virginia Department of Health has concluded that the air quality is below thresholds for dangerous air, meaning those in the area without respiratory issues should be safe. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also been called in to conduct additional testing.
"At this point, we're just going to allow it to burn because we can't get the water in the correct areas to extinguish it, and we're also concerned about the runoff that it may create." He also explained that no sewer or gas lines have been affected.
Chief Ashe also says the hole caused by the fire has expanded, "When we arrived on Saturday there was an initial collapse located at the rear of the parking area, over the course of the day Saturday and into yesterday and this morning, we probably have 75-85% of the parking lot has collapsed."
Crews responded to an underground fire at Premium Outlets around 9 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they found the parking lot behind the stores partially collapsed and a fire in the stormwater detention facility.
According to a Nov. 25 update from JCCFD, an underground stormwater chamber consisting of modular crates made of high-density plastic caught on fire; that chamber contains stormwater runoff from the front parking lot of the outlets.
JCCFD stresses that chamber is not connected to a sanitary service system.
So far, the fire and rescue team has not reported any injuries. Many shoppers, like Lynne Skinner, say they could still smell the smoke.
"It was a little bit like something burning," said Skinner.
On Sunday around 10:45 a.m., James City County officials updated that the fire was still burning and that smoke has increased in the area. Firefighters are working to cool down the area and keep the smoke down as much as possible, but people with respiratory issues should avoid the outlet.
Authorities had the north side of the shopping center that's adjoined to the parking garage taped off and closed to shoppers.
The cause of the fire is still undetermined, as this is an ongoing investigation.
Residents in Williamsburg's Scott’s Pond neighborhood tell 13 News Now, that they’ve been on edge for the last 24 hours. Victoria Gerousis lives right behind the outlets. She says you can see the smoke and smell have engulfed her neighborhood, affecting just about everything in her life the last few days.
"We have a cat that goes in and out and we can't do that now... So the animal is kind of stressed... It [smells] like an electric fire. Yeah, like something like chemical burning. Yeah.”
JCCFD also said electricity in the affected area has been disconnected and Virginia Natural Gas has secured a natural gas line near the affected area.
This is a developing story. Check 13newsnow.com for updates.