WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — An underground fire that burned for more than five days and destroyed a parking lot in James City County near the Williamsburg Premium Outlets is now out, according to a Facebook post by the James City Country Fire Department.
According to James City County officials, the City of Newport News Fire Department assisted in the effort, along with a contractor hired by the property owner to help extinguish the fire by 10 p.m. Wednesday night.
Equipment operators were able to clear away the pavement and dig into the affected area allowing the ladder truck hose streams to be effective in extinguishing the fire, according to the James City County officials.
A stormwater system that's roughly 12 feet deep under a parking lot at Williamsburg Premium Outlets caught fire last Saturday, according to James City County officials. The stormwater system is made of plastic crates. The pavement of the parking lot has been collapsing on top of the burning material as the plastic crates weaken in the fire.
Watch previous coverage: Underground fire in Williamsburg still smoldering, smoking as crews dig into material
For five days it was challenging for fire crews to reach the underground fire. The fire department cautioned residents in the area with respiratory issues to stay inside and to avoid the area, or take precautions while outside.
The fire department has said air quality tests have been in the normal range for a fire of this nature.
Fire crews still don't know how the crates, meant to allow water to flow underground, caught fire.
