SUFFOLK
A fast-moving fire burned through Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, devastating a major tree restoration project after it was sparked by a piece of equipment, a refuge official said.
The blaze began Monday afternoon when a contractor's timbering equipment caught fire while work was ending on a multiyear clearing project to restore Atlantic white cedar trees, said Chris Lowie, refuge manager. The fire spread slowly at first, but its pace quickened Tuesday.
"It was growing faster than we could put the line around it," said Steve Hubner, a forester with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and one of the first to respond.
The situation took a turn Tuesday night, when flames crossed a dirt road that firefighters had hoped would halt the fire's progress.
"We were optimistic till last night," Lowie said Wednesday.
Members of a national incident command team began arriving Wednesday to help coordinate the response. A bout 60 people from federal and state agencies worked the fire.
Lowie said the dry conditions at the swamp are similar to those behind the much larger fire in eastern North Carolina that has burned more than 40,000 acres in and around Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
By late Wednesday afternoon, Lowie and others estimated the Dismal Swamp blaze at close to 1,000 acres.
"We're forecasting that this will likely be one of the biggest fires" to ever hit the refuge, Lowie said.
The fire is south of Lake Drummond near the North Carolina border. The closest houses are three or four miles away, and as of Wednesday afternoon authorities did not foresee the blaze threatening any homes, Lowie said.
The blaze began in an area that the refuge was restoring to create habitat for Atlantic white cedar s.
The contractor, Carson Helicopters Inc., was finishing a three-year project to clear 1,100 acres of trees damaged by Hurricane Isabel when the fire started, Lowie said. The company was within two weeks of finishing, he said.
The federal government was not paying Carson Helicopters to remove the damaged trees, but the company was allowed to sell the timber, Lowie said. The goal was to remove debris that could cause wildfires, he said.
Steve Metheny, vice president of operations for the Oregon-based company, said Carson could not comment on details of the fire.
"The whole thing's still under investigation," Metheny said. "We don't have any definitive answers."
He said the company has been in the timber-harvesting business since 1970 and none of the company's machines had ever caught fire.
Metheny said five or six people were working on three loaders when the fire is believed to have started. No crew members were injured.
The company also is in the firefighting business. And its Fire King helicopter, which has a 1,000-gallon water tank, flew over the refuge for nearly five hours Tuesday to attack the fire.
It and another helicopter refilled with water at Lake Drummond to make quick return trips.
"Our main focus right now is just to get the fire put out," Metheny said. "We're just glad that nobody got hurt."
The swamp presented its own challenges to firefighters. Its soft, mossy floor made using bulldozers a risk because they could easily get stuck, and the thickness of the forest hampered the movement of firefighters with hoses, Hubner said.
Dave Forster, (757) 222-5563, dave.forster@pilotonline.com
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Dry?
This only the third wettest year in the regions history. I don't think we need it any wetter. I just drove along the outskirts of the Dismal Swamp and all of the ditches are full.
Stop the logging
They should just stop the logging altogether in refuges. After all it is a wildlife refuge. What purpose is being served by ravaging the wildlife habitat. If you remember it was not to long ago that another major fire was started by logging equipment in the Dismal Swamp Refuge. It costs millions to fight these fires and when the loggers start them they should be liable for the costs.
To Trustnot
First, no one is accusing the timber company of intentionally starting this fire. I'm aware of it being an accident, but then I question why it occurred since this company has clammed up all of a sudden. As a nearby landowner, who lives within 3 miles of this fire, I am not concerned with smoke. I am concerned about my property and my animals. I want to be given ample time with which to evacuate if the order comes. I also want to be informed by the wildlife refuge or police of any additional spread of this fire that you, Mr. Trustnot, think is no big deal. It's a big deal if you stand to lose your home. Perhaps, you are an official of the logging company, or of the refuge, but I think it bad when it appears obvious that the federal government tried to hide the outbreak of this fire and hoped nearby residents would just blame it on the fire already burning in the Pocosin Wildlife Refuge. NC firefighters do fight it if asked to help, but it appears to be a matter of someone at the refuge doing CYA.
Who is responsible for what
Different agencies have different rules as to where they can go and where they can't go. Billing for hours, insurance, liability . . . all these things come into play. If those firefighters had crossed into federal land without proper permissions, they could actually lose their jobs - that is unless a person's home or anyone's life was endangered. It is the way our screwy laws work. As for when logging is done, loggers work when they can work due to weather and when the property owners allow it. When the ground is wet and muddy as all get out, it is hard to get equipment in to do the job. Typically this time of year it isn't as dry as it has been, so typically this would be a good time of year to log.
Swamp Fire
While it is true that logging company had a part in the fire did you also know that a strike of lightening Tuesday evening is also to blame? This logging company has been here working without incident for several years. The logging company does not get paid with any federal/state/local funds, their profit is from the sale of the timber. It would be highly unlikely that they would intentially set a blaze and burn the rest of their profit. At this point no houses are in danger and while we have some smoke it is certainly not the end of the world. As for the firefighters getting paid overtime - if they are working they should get paid. It is also worth mentioning that Corapeake has an all volunteer fire department and would not be involved in fighting a fire in VA.
OMG!!!
I hope these firefighters aren't getting paid OVERTIME to put out this fire...more to come later...only in the Pilot.
No Warm Fuzzy Feeling
To continue:
My wife and I drove down near the fire last night. We saw a big cloud of smoke coming from the woods that was over a mile wide. Suffolk firefighters were traveling along the road on fire watch. We briefly talked with volunteer NC firefighters in Corapeake who also were observing that cloud, fearing that blowing ash would spark a fire on their side. When we inquired why they were not helping fight the fire, they replied that the fire was on federal property and they had not been asked to help. It sounds to me like the federal government has gotten itself in trouble and is too proud to ask for help. They'd rather let the woods burn and jeopardize surrounding property all to save face. We observed federal firefighters leaving the area and no new crews coming in to replace them. Now, that doesn't give you a warm fuzzy feeling.
Feds Say, Let It Burn
I have noticed that logging occurs in the driest and most dangerous months. Usually whenever there is a major fire, it always starts while loggers are there or have been there. It surprised me that logging is allowed in swampy areas that I thought should be protected. Yes, I know this company was removing damaged trees and blow downs, but I have seen logging occurring elsewhere in Cypress swamps, and I question how they can get by the Army Corps of Engineers. I wonder if that is legal?
It infuriates me to know that the fire was burning since Monday afternoon, and we surrounding landowners weren't even notified. I noticed a lot of smoke on Tuesday night and attributed it to the fire south of Edenton, NC, but felt like it smelled closer. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter hovering over the Dismal Swamp for a long time and wondered about that. Still, there was nothing on the news. More than likely someone called 10 On Your Side to report the fire so that's why we finally learned about it, yesterday.
My wife and I drove down near the fire last night. We saw a big cloud of smoke coming from the woods that was over a mile wide. Suffolk firefighters were traveling
Dry conditions equal fire
With all the dry conditions we've got in that area, it wouldn't take much to start a fire. I'm certain the Oregon loggers were quite familiar with the dangers. But at any time the best of loggers can have an equipment failure that can cause a fire. I seriously doubt this was any sort of a controlled burn with how dry it is. With the way people toss lit cigarettes out the windows of their cars around here, I'm surprised we haven't had more fires.
Don't Break It If It Ain't Broke
Sometime ago the wildlife refuge put out a comprehensive land plan to remove pine and gum trees so that Atlantic White Cedar could be replanted since it grew there long before the logging industry, brought in by George Washington, decimated the old growth White Cedar trees. Looks like the refuge gets more than it bargains for. I hope to God any surrounding landowners don't have to pay the price of this new comprehensive land plan. The refuge is blaming this fire on loggers. How do we know it wasn't one of those "controlled fires" that the refuge is famous for setting that now has become out of control? There's an old saying. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Every time somebody pays for a comprehensive land plan, it comes back to bite them in the butt.