LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. β For more than four hours, crews were on the scene of a fire that caused a large plume of smoke in the sky in Loudoun County Monday afternoon.
According to Loudoun County Fire, the flames sparked in the 110 block of Acacia Lane in Sterling around 3 p.m. Crews called for a second alarm, which means the fire has reached a size requiring more firefighters to control it.
Loudoun County Fire officials tell WUSA9 that 400 people were evacuated from the area but not necessarily from the building where the fire was.
"It's a very large building and there was a significant amount of fire in the building. the building was almost completely involved from one end to the other, adding to the complexity we had an exposure problem we had two warehouses on both sides of the building that were being threatened by the fire," said Assistant Chief Travis Preau.
The smoke could be seen from Dulles Airport, but according to Virginia Delegate Atoosa Reaser, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed the fire is not at the airport and is not impacting any airfield operations. Dulles is open and operating normally.
Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Travis Preau told WUSA9 they received several 911 calls, shortly after 3 p.m., about the warehouse being on fire.
"It's a very large building and there was a significant amount of fire in the building. The building was almost completely involved from one end to the other," said Preau.
"Adding to the complexity we had an exposure problem we had two warehouses on both sides of the building that were being threatened by the fire," he told WUSA9.
Loudoun County officials say Broderick Drive at Prentice Drive was closed while crews worked to put out the flames. Prentice Drive was closed as well at Lockridge Road and Pacific Boulevard.
The assistant chief told WUSA9 the building was a waterproofing company's warehouse. He also said a gas line was damaged, and Washington Gas was making repairs.
Although the fire did not impact flights at Dulles, the close proximity of the airport to the scene did offer one advantage: access to the Airport Rescue Firefighting truck.
"They carry large amounts of water and large amounts of foam. Foam is for petroleum fires. gasoline, petroleum, shingles, tar. The availability of foam in such a short amount of time was crucial," explained Preau.
There is no word on what caused the fire, WUSA9 is told the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating.
No serious injuries were reported but a firefighter was evaluated on scene for heat exhaustion.
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