South One Fire July 24 Update
Incident: South One Wildland Fire
Released: 7/24/2008
South One Fire Update
Fire Information: (304) 516-9682
Hours of Operation: 0800-2000
Wednesday, July 24, 2008, 0900
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
4,664 acres
Containment
95 percent
Fire Cause
The fire started in the afternoon of Monday, June 9, when logging equipment caught fire.
Resources
There are 86 personnel on the fire, including 2 twenty-person hand crews. Equipment includes: 5 engines, 2 bulldozers, 2 Marsh Masters, 1 Bombardier, 1 Excavator, 1 Harvester Saw, and 1 Geoboy.
Today's Activities
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Fire Behavior
Fire behavior continued to pick up on northern perimeter and in and around unburned interior pockets yesterday. Burning in duff and organic layer produced an increased volume of smoke, and surface fire was observed in some areas with 4-5 foot flame lengths. Yesterday's afternoon storms did place some precipitation on the fire, but this was insufficient to extinguish it. This rainfall did, however, provide a break in increased fire and smoke activity. Without further significant rainfall, and continued hot and dry conditions, the fire will likely remain active underground and re-emerge. The possibility of thunderstorms over the weekend, although bringing with it the hope of significant rainfall, may also bring lightning strikes and further new fire starts. Operations today and tomorrow will focus on continued flooding operations north and south of Interior Ditch with high volume pumps. Crews will mop up several hotspots along South Ditch and Riddick Ditch and monitor the small new fire started on July 12 for residual heat within its perimeter. Aerial and ground based detection patrols will start to look for new lightning starts. Weather conditions will be a major factor in keeping the fire inside the existing perimeter.
Participating Agencies & Cooperators
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Virginia State Department of Forestry, Florida Division 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, and Suffolk Fire Rescue.
Restrictions and Closures
Portions of the Refuge are closed to the public including: Lake Drummond, Railroad Ditch, West Ditch, Interior Ditch and Corapeake Ditch Roads. The area of the Refuge south of Corapeake Ditch Road is also closed. Washington Ditch Road and Jericho Ditch Road are open. The Dismal Swamp State Park has opened a portion of the Canal Trail, from the Visitor's Center to Kim Saunders Road. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Drummond Reservation part of the Canal has reopened to visitors; however, boating access to Lake Drummond is still closed. Contact the Corps at 757-201-7642 for more information.
Fire Weather
A 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms exists today. Today will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Minimum relative humidity will be 46%. Southwest winds will be between 3 and 7 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%. Tonight will be clear and Friday will be clear and sunny..
Smoke
A mixture of smoke and fog in the fire area could cause visibility issues in the evenings and mornings. Drivers are urged to be extremely cautious and travel with their low beam lights on.
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. 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/
