Fire fueled by high winds damaged four town houses Wednesday afternoon off Ashton Avenue near Manassas.
No one was home when the blaze broke out just in the 11100 block of Cattail Court in the Orchard Glen subdivision. Heavy winds drove embers and flames toward two other town homes near the blaze, subsequently catching them on fire.
“When you have wind the conditions are a bit different,” said Prince William County Fire and Rescue Capt. Tom Denner. “Normally fire burns up and then outward, but with the winds, it blows with the wind.“
A second alarm was sounded for the fire before it was extinguished at 1:35 p.m.
Officials estimate the damage to be $100,000. The cause is still under investigation.
No one was home at the time of the fire and Linda Cohen, of the Prince William Chapter of the American Red Cross, said the fire department is working with the property management company at the town house complex to try and find and notify the residents of the damage to their homes.
“As of right now the occupants are not home and the management company is trying to locate them,” Cohen said Wednesday afternoon.
The Red Cross will help the residents with shelter and other needs if they “request our assistance,” Cohen said.
The Prince William region was under a high wind advisory Wednesday. A cold front blowing in brought with it sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Firefighters and police officers spent much of the day dealing with downed tree limbs and minor brush fire.
Uriah Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065. Manassas Bureau Chief Keith Walker contributed to this story.
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