Crews fighting stubborn N.C. Wildfires dig in for more work
Pastor Dale Morgan
Crews fighting stubborn N.C. Wildfires dig in for more work*
By Dave Forster and Ryan Hutchins
SUFFOLK
It could be two weeks before firefighters surround the growing fire in
the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - and that's if things
go well.
Meanwhile, millions of gallons of water are being pumped out of lakes in
North Carolina to help control the big wildfire there.
Both are expected to send smoke across South Hampton Roads and
northeastern North Carolina again today before the wind shifts tonight.
The Dismal Swamp fire, which grew significantly over the weekend, has
burned about 2,460 acres since it started June 9. More than 320 people
were working Monday afternoon to contain it, a task that was about 20
percent complete, said Larry Helmerick, a spokesman for the command team.
If the weather cooperates - some good rain, low winds, cooler weather -
firefighters are confident they can surround and contain the fire by
July 1, Helmerick said. The swamp's peaty soil and dead timber could
fuel the flames long after that, however.
"There may be smoke in the area for quite a while," Helmerick said.
The National Weather Service office in Wakefield predicted a 20 percent
chance of showers or thunderstorms today in Hampton Roads.
The fire's reach is just a fraction of the 111,000-acre refuge, which
stretches between Virginia and North Carolina.
But this blaze is by far the largest on record at the swamp, according
to Chris Lowie, the refuge manager. It began in an area where a
contractor was removing dead trees knocked down by Hurricane Isabel as
part of an Atlantic white cedar restoration project. The contractor's
equipment caught fire, Lowie said.
In North Carolina, firefighters have drawn water from nearby lakes to
battle the blaze that began June 1 and is burning in and near the
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
The operations involve 35 high-volume pumps that can move about 92,000
gallons of water per minute, according to representatives from the
incident command center for that fire.
"That would fill a normal-size in-ground swimming pool six times in one
minute," spokesperson Greg Pate said.
The pumps will run continuously, stopping when an area is completely
flooded and the units need to be moved to another location.
The firefighters are authorized to draw down Lake Phelps by up to 5 inches.
A smaller operation is pulling from another lake, but spokesman Dean
McAlister said he did not know if there were any restrictions on how
much could be drawn from it.
The fire had burned about 41,060 acres, or 64 square miles. The fire was
estimated to be 60 percent contained Monday morning, up from 40 percent
Sunday.
The cost of the fire is now estimated at more than $3.8 million, with
514 personnel involved in the firefighting operation.