JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — Firefighters think they may soon get the upper hand on a stubborn fire that’s been burning underground in a parking lot of the Williamsburg Premium Outlets for five days.
As the smoke was thick and lingering in the area around the outlet mall, it hasn’t just been a problem for firefighters, it has also been frustrating for people who live in the development next to the outlets.
Neighbors who live right behind the parking lot say the smoke and smell have caused a lot of problems for them.
“It changed a lot, but at night, you can really tell,” said Kevin Carter, who lives near the site of the fire. “Obviously, you see the flames, and it looked like a scene from like, an opening to hell.”
Video from Chopper 10 showed the extent of the damage, about three acres wide and more than 12 feet deep. Neighbors say the James City County Fire Department has been transparent with them, and a federal investigator has visited homes in the area to update them on the status of the fire.
On the ground, crews are using heavy equipment to dig up and tear apart the collapsed parking lot to allow the heat to go to the surface before it is sprayed by a hose.
“They’re allowing us to remove that concrete and sort of turn the pile over,” said James City County Fire Chief Ryan Ashe, “which allowed us to apply our hose streams from our ladder trucks and [we’re] able to really see some extinguishment. So it’s mostly cooling. A lot of it’s been underground, holding heat under the gravel.”
But the smoke has to go somewhere, and neighbors who live right behind the parking lot say it’s going into their homes.
“My wife taped the windows and the doors because this smell is in the house,” Carter said. “The burning plastic is in the house.”
The burning plastic, officials believe, are plastic crates in the underground stormwater system.
“It was really hard to get to sleep and just breathing,” Carter said.
Crews worked overnight and they said they will continue working through the night to get the fire under control.
The Environmental Protection Agency says the air monitoring levels have been acceptable.
“We don’t want to be in this house,” said a person who lives near the fire.
One person who lives on the street near the fire said they bought a couple of air purifiers to try and mask the smell, and his family has even temporarily moved away into a hotel room.
Ashe said an end might be in sight for these neighbors.
“We’re hoping that by tomorrow, it’ll be significantly reduced,” Ashe said. “We still may see some smoke over the next few days just because there has been a tremendous amount of heat.”