South 1 Fire Update 7/3/08 AM
Incident: South One Wildland Fire
Released: 7/3/2008
South One Fire Update
Fire Information (540) 295-0389
Hours of Operation: 0800-2000
Florida Interagency Incident Management Team
Thursday, July 3, 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 240 people on the fire, including 4 twenty-person hand crews. Equipment includes 12 engines, 5 bulldozers, 2 water tenders, 1 Marsh Master, 1 Bombardier, 2 Geo Boy mowers, 2 Excavators, and 1 Harvester Saw. Three 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. Washington Ditch and Jericho Ditch are 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 increased last evening due to continued drying conditions. Some active flames were observed with isolated flare-ups and single tree torching. Infrared heat detection flights indicate there are five large pockets of heat inside the fire perimeter, four of which are possible threats to the containment lines along Riddick and Interior Ditches. Firefighters will work today to continue the installation of a high volume pump and sprinkler system along the eastern Riddick Ditch. Work to flood the northern Interior Ditch with water from Lake Drummond will also continue. Harvester Saws, hand crews and mowing machines will continue efforts to construct a secondary fire line along the northern most Railroad Ditch. This line will be in place in the event of fire spread in that direction. Excavators are being used to clear out the ditches and knock down hazardous trees along the perimeter. Firefighters will work again today to attempt to free the piece of mowing equipment lodged in the muck. Crews will continue to patrol the entire fire perimeter and mop up hot spots wherever safely possible. Helicopters will 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 92 degrees with winds from the southwest gusting up to 14 mph, and relative humidity between 27-32%.
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 Carolina 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/
