At 8:30 AM on Saturday, August 18, Middleburg's fire and rescue squad responded to an unusual report: there were sounds rushing water coming from underneath apartments at 300 Windy Hill Road.

According to Police Chief Steve Webber, fire, rescue and police responded to find water spewing from the Southwest corner the building's cinder block foundation, flowing into the parking lot, across an adjacent road, and into a stream. Closer inspection revealed water backed up inside the building.

Rising to doorknob level in places, the water was nearly four feet deep in a closed storage area, and had flooded the apartment manager's office.

Two water mains serve the complex, with one providing water under pressures of 80 pounds per square inch for a fire suppression system. That line apparently burst, at a 90-degree elbow joint underneath the basement floor. By the time the break was discovered water pressure had lifted and buckled parts of the four to five-inch concrete slab floor, separating it, in places, from the foundation.

Middleburg's on-call Utility Superintendant, Gary Garret, arrived quickly on the scene, located the meters and valves serving both lines, and shut them off. By that time roughly 20,000 gallons of water had been pushed into and through the building.

Dominion Power was called to shut down electrical service. As the water receded, the Fire Marshall prudently ordered the evacuation of the building, noting that there was no way to determine just how badly the building had been damaged.

As of Monday morning, best reports indicated that residents of fifteen apartments had been evacuated. During the crisis, Police, Fire Department and EMS workers helped residents gather what they could from their apartments for what may be an extended displacement. Many appear to have been taken in by family or friends. The Red Cross is reported to have arranged temporary housing for as many as thirteen people.

A clean bill of health from County building Inspectors and a structural engineer will no doubt be required to clear the structure for re-entry.