The switch to van life among many people has increased demand for a business that makes custom mobile homes.You may have heard about another pandemic side effect called the great resignation. Since April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported record numbers of people leaving their jobs. As it turns out, many people are turning their new lifestyle into something a little more adventurous with the next trend — van life.Maryland-based OGAVans is the only one of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic where builders are busy crafting custom mobile homes. They squeeze cabinets, a kitchen, a bed and even a composting toilet into an average of about 86 square feet.Aaron Fensterheim, owner of OGAVans, said business has been on the fast track since 2017, thanks to what's aptly called van life."You get to live the lifestyle you want. You're not stuck in your 9-to-5, drive home, drive to work. ... You're really getting to live the life you want," Fensterheim said.It's a lifestyle popularized through media and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Movies and social media give a glimpse into a glamorized perspective of van life. An ideal formula for people cooped up at home, craving more opportunities during the pandemic."It's just giving people the opportunity to either visit family, spend time in nature, do what they really want to do, and I think that's the big key. It's a lot of opportunities for a large majority of the population that don't need to physically work somewhere or have the ability to not work," Fensterheim said.Fensterheim said most young clients still work remotely."Work was the thing that I did to pay the bills and, you know, that was it," Lauren Ettinger said.Ettinger, a van lifer and a client of OGAVans, said the desire to change her career and lifestyle came pre-pandemic about three years ago."I worked for a nonprofit State Department exchange program, so I had a very typical, very D.C. job, but made some transition in my life," Ettinger said.This brought a transition from her full-time desk job in Washington to part-time remote. After a year, she stepped away from that job, too. She is now working freelance in her Dodge Ram Promaster van — a big change for a tiny home."But you also worry about so much less than you do in the house. There's less push on making more money, buying more things. It's just a way to be more outdoors, happiness, minimalist lifestyle than living in a house," Ettinger said.Ettinger said she has noticed more van lifers on the road now, too. Demand for vans has also sped up. But costing up to more than $100,000 per build, van life is not cheap."There are just not vans available, and for many of my friends who have sold their vans and transitioned to other stuff, you basically list it and it's gone instantly, and that was not the case a few years ago," she said.That same demand, as well as supply chain issues, are now fueling OGAVan's backlog of orders — now up to 11 months of waiting for clients, driving business and new life changes through van life."People are going to continue to work remote," Fensterheim said. "We've never seen a slowdown. We've only seen a pick-up."

A shooting at a Maryland business park Tuesday left two people critically injured and the suspect dead, police said, while the U.S. Navy reported an "active shooter incident" at Fort Detrick involving sailors.The shooter went into a business, causing people inside to flee, Frederick Police Chief Jason Lando said. He could not say whether the shooting was inside or outside. He said after that shooting the suspect drove about 10 minutes to Fort Detrick and was killed there. The first shooting happened at the Riverside Tech park, about 4 miles from Fort Detrick. The Navy did not release further details. The two male victims were flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore."We have two different scenes. All I can tell you is that we have confirmed there is only one shooter. The public is no longer at risk. Everyone is safe,” Lando said.Police said the 38-year-old male suspect traveled to the military base and was fatally shot by personnel on the base. Police said there is only one shooter and there is no more risk, no further cause for alarm in the Frederick community. Jeremy Mutschler, director of marketing for Nicolock Paving Stones, said that his understanding is that the shooting was near the company's Frederick location but not at the business itself."One of the victims who was wounded entered our facility looking for help and we were able to assist and call the authorities," said Mutschler, who is based in New York.Gov. Larry Hogan has been briefed, and the Maryland State Police is assisting in the investigation. Special Agents and a K-9 team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are responding to Frederick. This is a developing story. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FREDERICK, Md. —

A shooting at a Maryland business park Tuesday left two people critically injured and the suspect dead, police said, while the U.S. Navy reported an "active shooter incident" at Fort Detrick involving sailors.

The shooter went into a business, causing people inside to flee, Frederick Police Chief Jason Lando said. He could not say whether the shooting was inside or outside. He said after that shooting the suspect drove about 10 minutes to Fort Detrick and was killed there. The first shooting happened at the Riverside Tech park, about 4 miles from Fort Detrick. The Navy did not release further details. The two male victims were flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore.

"We have two different scenes. All I can tell you is that we have confirmed there is only one shooter. The public is no longer at risk. Everyone is safe,” Lando said.

Police said the 38-year-old male suspect traveled to the military base and was fatally shot by personnel on the base. Police said there is only one shooter and there is no more risk, no further cause for alarm in the Frederick community.

Jeremy Mutschler, director of marketing for Nicolock Paving Stones, said that his understanding is that the shooting was near the company's Frederick location but not at the business itself.

"One of the victims who was wounded entered our facility looking for help and we were able to assist and call the authorities," said Mutschler, who is based in New York.

Gov. Larry Hogan has been briefed, and the Maryland State Police is assisting in the investigation. Special Agents and a K-9 team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are responding to Frederick.

This is a developing story. The Associated Press contributed to this report.