A brush fire early Thursday morning forced the closure of part of Solomons Island Road in Annapolis, according to Anne Arundel County officials.

Both directions of Route 2 at Annapolis Harbor Center Drive were shut down around 2 a.m. as crews responded to the fire, which also brought down power lines and caused outages in the area. Drivers were forced to find alternate routes until the scene was cleared.

All lanes reopened by about 5 a.m., ahead of the morning rush hour.

The incident followed a day of strong winds across the region Wednesday as a cold front moved through. Annapolis saw gusty conditions through the afternoon and evening, and a gale warning was in effect for nearby waterways for much of the day.

Thursday’s weather is expected to be calmer and more pleasant, with sunshi

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