JAMES CITY COUNTY — James City County (JCC) Fire Department held a press conference on Monday, Nov. 25 to address concerns over an ongoing underground fire at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets.
The fire department was notified at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, of an underground fire in the auxiliary parking lot located behind the shops.
When units arrived they discovered the partially collapsed parking lot and an active fire in the underground stormwater detention facility.
As of Monday, Nov. 25, the fire, which is contained, continues to burn and smoke has increased.
“As it has collapsed the concrete above has come down on top, which makes access to our water streams difficult,” JCC Fire Chief Ryan Ashe said at the press conference. “We have elected at this point to allow the fire to burn out.”
Ashe stated that a team that includes JCC Fire, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and representatives of Simon Properties, which owns the outlets, has been on site assessing the situation.
“This is an underground stormwater chamber that is made of high-density plastic chambers that caught on fire. The chambers contain the runoff from the parking area at the outlet mall. It is not connected to any sanitation sewer system. There are no natural gas lines in the affected area,” Ashe stated.
Smoke may continue for days or up to a week according to Ashe.
“Throughout the entirety, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management has conducted air monitoring and determined all the levels are within normal limits,” Ashe stated.
Nearby businesses have reopened and Ashe assures residents that the Williamsburg Memorial Park Cemetery and nearby homes are not in danger.
“This was an unusual call. They (the fire department) have gone door-to-door knocking on residents’ homes to let them know what is occurring — did we talk to everybody? No. Some residents were not home. But, we have made that outreach and we want the community to be aware and let them know we believe them to be safe. And, if something changes, we will let them know that as well,” said JCC County Administrator Scott Stevens.
Out of an abundance of caution, James City County has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct additional advanced testing. They are onsite and will share results as soon as they are available.
“We are not sure what caused the fire and based on the damage we may never know for sure,” said Ashe.
The situation will continue to be monitored and the community will be updated if needed.
