South 1 Fire Update 7/4/08 PM
Incident: South One Wildland Fire
Released: 7/4/2008
South One Fire Update
Fire Information (540) 295-0389
Hours of Operation: 0800-2000
Florida Interagency Incident Management Team
Friday, July 4, 2008, 7 p.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
4,413 acres
Containment
90 percent
Fire Cause
The fire started in the afternoon of Monday, June 9, when logging equipment caught fire.
Resources
There are 225 people on the fire, including 3 twenty-person hand crews. Equipment includes 13 engines, 5 bulldozers, 2 water tenders, 1 Marsh Master, 1 Bombardier, 2 Geo Boy mowers, 2 Excavators, 1 Harvester Saw, and 3 helicopters.
Today's Activities
&
Fire Behavior
Wildfire activity increased again today with continued hot and dry conditions. There are several locations where active burning has been observed inside the fire perimeter. 2-3 foot flames are burning through the surface vegetation north of Interior Ditch and west of Lake Drummond. Active burning is also occurring in a large pocket of unburned vegetation south of Interior Ditch and east of West Ditch. Flames are backing through the green surface fuels in this area emitting a large column of smoke. Firefighters are concerned a switch in wind direction, caused by passing thunderstorms, could cause the fire to threaten containment lines along these Ditches. Engine crews have been monitoring and mopping up hot spots in this area today. The Interior Ditch dam construction is progressing well; flooding operations in this north section of the fire should help reduce intensity of the burning peat. The high volume sprinkler operation along Riddick Ditch, on the eastern edge of the fire, is successfully cooling that section of the fire perimeter. Sprinklers are also working in the southeast corner of the fire to prevent any additional spread onto the Great Dismal Swamp State Park. Brush-clearing work continued along the northern Railroad Ditch and West Ditch again today. Helicopters worked to support ground crews with bucket drops and reconnaissance flights. Significant concerns are falling trees, erratic winds from thunderstorms, lightning, smoke on the roadways and increased holiday traffic in the fire area.
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.
Fire Weather
Today's temperatures are forecasted to be 92 degrees with winds from the southwest at 5-10 mph, gusting up to 15 mph and minimum relative humidity 34%.
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/
4th of July
Fire information officers will be on hand to answer questions about the fire at the Suffolk Stars and Stripes Spectacular this evening from 5 - 8 p.m. at Constant's Wharf Park.
