Spotsylvania Makes Fire and Rescue Promotions

Recently several members of the Spotsylvania County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management team received promotions and were recognized at a formal ceremony last week .  Front Row (L to R): Captain Steve A. Maslock, Jr.; Captain Carl F. Roberts; Lieutenant Waverly M. Alley, III; Captain Shawn L. Divelbliss; Captain Jeffrey A. Fain; Division Chief Michael T. Grubb; Captain Christopher A. Lonzo    Back Row (L to R): Captain Steven N. Cooper; Lieutenant John B. Hudgins; Lieutenant Brian C. Smith; Lieutenant Joshua R. Bentley; Division Chief William E. Hart; Captain Jason W. Irby; Captain Jeffrey T. Strang; Battalion Chief Gary C. Campbell

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Possible Tornado or Microburst in Fredericksburg

At least two buildings are severely damaged and two people are in the hospital.

Update 8:34 p.m. A new photo gallery of the storm damage can be found here.  Update 8:13 p.m.  The National Weather Service has not determined if the storm in Fredericksburg was a microburst or something else, and it may take another day or two before officials there make that determination.  What is a microburst? "A microburst is a downdraft (sinking air) in a thunderstorm that is less than 2.5 miles in scale," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "... Although microbursts are not as widely recognized as tornadoes, they can cause comparable, and in some cases, worse damage than some tornadoes produce.  In fact, wind speeds as high as 150 mph are possible in extreme microburst cases." Update 7:12 p.m. …

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