n LOUDOUN
Pg. 4 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 7, NO. 19
Pg. 8 | n EDUCATION
Pg. 10 | n OBITUARIES
Pg. 20 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
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Pg. 26
MARCH 31, 2022
1 Dead as Early Morning Fire Burns 3 Ashburn Homes LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT
The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office has ruled that improper disposal of smoking materials caused the fatal Tuesday morning fire that destroyed three homes in the Belmont Greene neighborhood of Ashburn. One resident was found dead inside a home. The victim’s
identification and cause of death will be released pending an investigation by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Two other residents were taken to the Medstar Washington
Burn Center for treatment. Crews were dispatched to a Nashua Street home at 1:30 a.m. March 29 following multiple 911 calls to the county dispatching center. They found heavy fire throughout the home and high winds spreading of the fire to the neighboring homes. According to witnesses, the flames started on the upper level of first home and then spread to second and a third home. According to Loudoun Fire-Rescue, nine adults and two children were displaced. The American Red Cross is providing assistance. One neighbor a few houses down woke up to the sound of the helicopter overhead. She said her neighbor took his garden hose to keep flames away from neighboring homes until emergency crews arrived. “It’s such a tight-knit neighborhood. … it doesn’t even feel right saying ‘good morning’ to each other today,” she said. The Fire Marshal’s Office estimated damages at $4 million. By Tuesday evening, several community fundraising efforts had been launched. One campaign at GoFundMe.com was established by the Loudoun-Dulles Fraternal Order of Police, seeking to raise $25,000 for one of the burn victims, a retired Maryland police officer who works as a background investigator for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. At least two other GoFundMe pages had been established to support her and her spouse whose house was the first to catch fire. Other neighbors have organized a gift card drive for the victims, designating a collection site at the Chic-fil-A at 44835 Lakeview Overlook Plaza in Ashburn.n
Photo by Norman K. Styer
Winemaker Melanie Natoli and Cana Vineyards co-owner Lisa Petty display the Governor’s Cup and the top-winning Virginia wine, their 2019 signature estate 2019 Unité Reserve
Governor’s Cup Returns to Loudoun:
Cana’s Natoli Takes Top Wine Award BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com
For the third time in six years, a Loudoun County winery has earned the top prize in the Governor’s Cup competition. During the annual event in Richmond last week, Gov. Glenn Youngkin presented the
award to Melanie Natoli of Cana Vineyards & Winery of Middleburg for her 2019 Unité Reserve. The estate red blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot was selected as the top entry among 615 wines submitted by more than 100 Virginia wineries. Natoli is the first woman winemaker to win the cup in the
40 years of the competition. Three other Loudoun wines ranked among the top 12 in the competition—taking slots in the Governor’s Case. Also selected were Cana’s 2019 Le Mariage, 50 West Vineyards’ 2019 AshGOVERNOR’S CUP continues on page 38
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