Firefighters bring swamp fire in check; more help is on the way

SUFFOLK

Firefighters kept the blaze in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in check on Thursday as help continued to arrive, an official said.

The fire has consumed about 900 acres as of the last official count, said Catherine Hibbard, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"It's backing up right now," Hibbard said. "Really nothing's changed dramatically from yesterday."

The fire started Monday when a contractor's logging equipment caught fire, refuge manager Chris Lowie said. Carson Helicopters Inc. was weeks from finishing a three-year project to clear 1,100 acres of trees damaged by Hurricane Isabel, Lowie said. The work was part of a restoration project to bring back Atlantic white cedar trees.

About 125 people are helping fight the fire, and more are expected, Hibbard said. The swamp's organic soil - thick with dry peat moss - could fuel the blaze for weeks, she said.

The fire is not threatening any homes, but an expected wind change on Sunday could bring smoke to North Carolina residents who live south of the swamp, Hibbard said.

"If there's a threat, we'll be giving plenty of advance notice," she said.

Dave Forster, (757) 222-5563, dave.forster@pilotonline.com