It's not clear whether the fire is related to the overnight storms.

Date published: 5/9/2008

Colonial Florist in Gordonsville burned to the ground early today, but officials said they did not know if it was related to storms that passed through the area overnight.

Orange County Assistant County Administrator Julie Jordan said officials are investigating the cause of the blaze, which was reported around 4 a.m.

Main Street is closed between the Gordonsville Town Hall and Baker Street. There were no injuries reported, but two people, who apparently lived above the shop, were displaced, Jordan said.

Six county roads have been closed due to high water from the storm, Jordan added. They are: Mathews Mill, Spicers Mill, Gold Dale, Sunnyside, Marquis at the Louisa County line and State Route 602 between State Routes 602 and 611.

According to Lake of Woods General Manager John Bailey, there were no power outages or major damage reported at the subdivision.

He said the area received about 5 inches of rain overnight, causing roads to flood temporarily. Bailey said officials were keeping an eye on LOW’s main dam, but there have been no problems.

“At about 2 a.m., there was six inches of water going over the spillway,” he said. “At 7 a.m., there was 12 inches going over.

“When it gets to 12 inches we need to visually monitor it, which we’re doing,” he added.

If the water level going over the spillway reaches 18 inches, residents in the inundation zone will be notified, Bailey said. Residents in that zone would be evacuated if the water level hits 30 inches, he said.

Robin Knepper: 540/972-5701
rknepper@earthlink.net

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Date published: 5/9/2008