South 1 Fire Update 7/2/08 AM
Incident: South One Wildland Fire
Released: 7/2/2008
South One Fire Update
Fire Information (540) 295-0389
Hours of Operation: 0800-2000
Florida Interagency Incident Management Team
Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 10 a.m.
Current Status
The South One Fire is burning in fallen Atlantic White Cedar and logging slash remnants from Hurricane Isabel, on the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge 12 miles southeast of Suffolk, Virginia.
Acreage
4,307 acres
Containment
90 percent
Fire Cause
The fire started in the afternoon of Monday, June 9, when logging equipment caught fire.
Resources
There are 197 people on the fire, including 3 twenty-person hand crews. Equipment includes 11 engines, 5 bulldozers, 1 water tender, 1 Marsh Master, 1 Bombardier, 2 Geo Boy mowers, 2 Excavators, and 1 Harvester Saw. Two helicopters are supporting ground resources.
Participating Agencies & Cooperators
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Virginia State Department of Forestry, The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources, Dismal Swamp State Park, Chesapeake Fire Rescue, Suffolk Fire Rescue and the Civil Air Patrol.
Restrictions and Closures
Lake Drummond is closed. Railroad Ditch, West Ditch, Interior Ditch and Corapeake Ditch Roads are closed to the public. The area of the Refuge south of Corapeake Ditch Road is also closed. The remainder of Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge remains open. All roads and trails in Dismal Swamp State Park are closed to the public; the Visitor Center remains open. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Drummond Reservation, part of the Canal, is closed to visitors. Contact the Corps at 757-201-7642 for more information. A temporary flight restriction is in effect up to 4,000 feet above the fire.
Today's Activities
&
Fire Behavior
Fire activity was light throughout the night with continued smoldering and limited surface fire. Weather conditions today are predicated to be drier, which could lead to increasing fire activity this afternoon. Westerly winds will again threaten the eastern fire line along Riddick Ditch. Firefighters will concentrate efforts in this area today. Crews will work to flood the ditch with water from Lake Drummond and to install a new sprinkler system from the lake 4,000 feet southward. This system will increase the water delivery and cool the hot fire edge. Crews along the northern Interior Ditch are continuing efforts to flood the ditch and clear brush along the sides. Firefighters will again work to free the piece of mowing equipment lodged in the muck. Engine crews will continue to patrol and mop up the fire edge along the less active Corapeake Ditch to the south and the West Ditch. Helicopters will continue to support ground crews with bucket drops again today. Major concerns include falling trees, the burning of unconsumed vegetation in areas that have already burned, and smoke on the roadways.
Fire Weather
Today's temperatures are forecasted to be in the high 80's with winds from the west 4-8 mph, and relative humidity in the 30% range.
Smoke
Smoke will continue to impact areas downwind of the fire. Residents and travelers should use extra caution when traveling through smoke.
Other Fire Information
Suffolk Saturday bus tours of the refuge are cancelled until further notice. On the Refuge, Jericho Ditch, Washington Ditch, and Portsmouth Ditch roads are open to the public. Speed limit on Desert Road near Refuge headquarters is 35 mph due to heavy fire traffic. Heavy smoke has been observed along US 17 at the Virginia / North Caroline state line. Emergency managers are carefully monitoring the situation. Anyone traveling in this area should use extreme caution and watch for road closures. Further information on the Great Dismal Swamp can be found at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/greatdismalswamp/; more fire information at http://www.inciweb.org/
