JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — A fire at an underground stormwater system Saturday morning caused a parking lot to partially collapse at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets.
According to the James City County Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the Premium Outlets at 9:00 a.m.
Units arrived to find the parking lot behind the stores partially collapsed and an active fire in the underground facility.
Out of an abundance of caution and smoke, area businesses were evacuated and the public was encouraged to avoid the area.
A shop owner said he'd been in the parking lot when he noticed a trailer tilting. He then saw the ground was collapsing and alerted others.
By late Saturday afternoon, the scene drew attention from curious shoppers who'd detected a lingering odor.
"Well it's a little bit like something like burning, something like that. So I was just wondering what happened," said Lynne Skinner of Richmond.
A number of shoppers said the scene caught them off guard amid the busy holiday rush.
"It's a little bit sad because those people want to make money because those are businesses, they're supposed to be open to make money, and then the people over here are a little not unhappy because they can't get what they wanted over there," said Skinner.
At this time we don't know the extent of the damage, if anyone was injured, or the cause of the fire.
The Williamsburg Premium Outlets' website reports all retail stores are expected to reopen for normal operating hours Sunday.
This is a developing story. Stay with News 3 for updates.
