39 Outdoor Fires Tackled By Prince William County Fire Amid Red Flag Warning

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Wednesday's red flag warning with an elevated fire risk came with dozens of fire responses in Prince William County. Officials continue to monitor conditions on Thursday.

The red flag warning for Prince William County meant there was an increased risk for outdoor fires due to low humidity and strong winds. The fire department said 39 outside and brush fires drew firefighter responses on Wednesday. There were no reported injuries or structural damage.

Most of these were small fires, but firefighters encountered larger fires in the 4700 block of Locust Shade Road near Route 1 in Triangle, Richmond Highway and Russell Road in Quantico, 2800 block of Dale Boulevard in Dale City and 10600 block of Parkgate Drive in Nokesville. Prince William County Fire and Rescue received assistance from Quantico, Stafford, Manassas, Manassas Park and Fairfax County firefighters.

There were no active brush fires as of 8 a.m. Thursday, Prince William County Fire and Rescue said. Units kept watch over the Locust Shade Drive fire Wednesday night and returned in the morning to tackle hot spots. The fire department said the Locust Shade Drive area was hard to fully extinguish due to heavy woods and deep ground cover. The smell of smoke is expected to linger.

While there is no red flag warning on Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a special weather statement for elevated fire weather conditions through the evening.

"Everyone is asked to be extremely careful with smoking materials and to obey all local and state burning laws," the fire department said.