James City County fire officials are asking for the public’s help as they investigate the fire that destroyed the Williamsburg Brass Shop and two other businesses April 21 in Norge.
James City County put out a call for help on social media, asking anyone with photos of the Brass Shop fire to send them to an investigator.
The blaze broke out in the Colonial Town Plaza shopping center around 9 p.m. April 21, sweeping through several businesses including the Williamsburg Brass Shop, a dental practice and a hair salon.
Fire department spokesman Battalion Chief Al Catlett said the fire marshal has not yet determined the cause of the fire and is continuing to investigate.
“It’s a complex fire, a large building and a lot of damage,” Catlett said. The shopping center at 6967 Richmond Road is an older building and has a frame made mostly of wood, he added.
Fire crews responded to the blaze after an emergency call came in at 9:04 p.m. April 21. Several other calls came in to dispatch shortly after the first call, Catlett said.
Catlett said several people were in or around the building when firefighters arrived, including Mia Rothwell, the owner of Mia’s Salon. Rothwell was asleep in her salon at the time of the fire, and she treated the business like her “second home,” Rothwell’s daughter told WYDaily.
Firefighters pounded on the salon’s door to wake Rothwell, who made it out alive.
The other people at the plaza when the fire broke out were on the other side of the shopping center beyond a fire wall that protected the rest of the building, Catlett said.
The fire was marked under control around 11 p.m.
Catlett said the Brass Shop and the dental practice had not been in business for some time, although there items remained inside both establishments.
Catlett said any photos or videos of the fire that could be pertinent to the investigation should send them to the fire marshal’s office.
The photos can be taken before, during or after the blaze.
Anyone with photos should contact Investigator Kenny Lamm at 757-565-7606.
