The Virginian-Pilot
©
Sniff smoke in the air Wednesday morning?
Well, you're probably going to smell it again today.
The fire in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge continues to burn despite significant rainfall from Hurricane Irene nearly three weeks ago.
While the storm helped get the fire 90 percent contained at the refuge, two stubborn hot spots continue to burn to the northwest and south of centrally located Lake Drummond.
A reminder of the smoldering fire reared its head Wednesday as southwest winds pushed smoke northeast, according to the National Weather Service, affecting those in the east and north parts of Hampton Roads.
More of the same is expected today starting at about 8 a.m.
The air quality alert forecast for today is moderate, meaning people who are especially sensitive to air pollution may be affected, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
More than 60 people are working to snuff out the 6,000-plus-acre fire first spotted Aug. 4 after a lightning strike.
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the keyboard firefighter and refuge manager
Wow. You guys have it all figured out. Walk down to your local VFD and volunteer.
Newsflash: wildfires occur. they are expense to extinguish.Peat fires mostly have to burn themselves out since they burn underground. People with experience managing fire (not you all) are already working on this.
Or this may be a vast and far reaching conspiracy like the guy talking about the "fries" said. I blame Obama.
COST?
Do any of you folks realize how much it would cost to build the elaborate pumping schemes you are advocating? Don't you think they've maybe given this some thought? It also costs a ot of money to keep the firefighters working this. Not every event conjured by mother nature can be controlled by man...nor should it.
It was almost out
They need to put it out. It's really tough on the older folks that may have once inhaled alot of that great product of this region....tobacco.
90 - 95% Contained
The fire was 90-95% contained after Irene. Why they didn't make one last push to put it out is beyond me. It makes NO sense to remove the fire fighters at that point when they could have extinguished the remnants of the fire right then-and-there, plus everything on the surface was already soaking wet. ??????????????? Don't get it.
This very paper stated they
This very paper stated they reduced man power after the storm. It then went on to say they were doing all they could. Bit of a conflicting message. A tractor pump could flood these spots. I wish the authorities could detail the process at this point.
Just put it out
Just put the fire out wiil ya!
I was surprised to wake up
I was surprised to wake up both Wednesday morning and this morning to the smell of smoke seeping into my house from baby cracks in the front door. I live in Chesapeake and am not liking the stuffy nose and sore throat it causes! Keep fighting the fight firefighters!
This frie is big money and
This frie is big money and jobs they don,t want it to be put out. Just think about it this frie has been going on for years.
Ocean Water
I don't thonk they can use water from the ocean to flood the swamp. Ocean is salt water and it would kill all the plants. What they need is some sort of deployable piping system that can go from a pump at lake Drummond to whatever location in the swamp thay need. Even if it took a week to get to the fire it would be better than it burning for over a month. Maybe build 3 or 4 large diameter pipes to various points along the swamp and from there they could run temporary houses. Apparently using helicopters and firefighters isn't working too well. Another option could be to sink wells in the swamp for a water source so they could hook up a portable pump and use it on the fire. There has to be a better way than what they are doing now.
Yes ...Yes and Correct
I was just joking about flooding the swamp but now it seems a real plan is in the works...Salt Water is a bad idea, the EPA along with about a Dozen other reglatory Adgencies would call up the Army to "Stop The Madness"...Pumping a bays worth of salt water into a fresh water swamp would turn it into a (Salt Water Marsh), all of the bears would have salt water rings on their nice shiny coats...and the fishing for Croker and Spot in Lake Drummond would improve, the fishing for any other fresh water fish would move to the Suffolk Lakes...The idea about sinking wells in remote areas of the swamp is a great idea, their is an almost unlimited supply of Fresh Water under the ground, and it would just flow back to where it came from...MEOW