Wildfires

Last summer's N.C. wildfire officially declared out

Patrick.Wilson — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:19:35 -0500

The big North Carolina wildfire that sent smoke into Hampton Roads last summer was only officially declared out this week.

The fire management officer at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in northeast North Carolina declared the fire out on Monday, according to a news release issued Friday.

A hot spot had been burning just two weeks earlier.

Entrance to Dismal Swamp, lake reopens to autos Monday

Jim.Washington — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:44:32 -0500

SUFFOLK The Railroad Ditch entrance to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which leads to Lake Drummond, is set to reopen to auto traffic, according to refuge officials. The area has been closed for two years due to habitat management activities and the huge wildfire which swept through the area this summer.

Rain finally put an end to costly Dismal Swamp fire

Jim.Washington — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:43:23 -0400

SUFFOLK It wasn't the Great Conflagration, but the fire that ignited in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge this spring was the costliest and one of the longest-burning in state history. Now it's out.

Authorities continue flooding Dismal Swamp fire this week

Patrick.Wilson — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:52:21 -0400

SUFFOLK Employees of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge this week will continue flooding areas of the refuge where a fire that started in June continues to burn.

The fire is 100 percent contained but continues to smolder underground. The fire could remain active without significant rainfall, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said Tuesday.

Hanna's rain likely not enough to extinguish wildfires

Brian.Root — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:44:33 -0400

Tropical Storm Hanna dumped some needed rain on the two fires that have smoldered in the region for months, but officials are not ready to say the fires are out just yet.

Lake Drummond to reopen to boaters Saturday after wildfire

Brian.Root — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:06:59 -0400

SUFFOLK The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge’s Lake Drummond will reopen to boaters at sunrise Saturday after more than two months, according to a news release from the refuge.

Dismal Swamp fire 100 percent contained but still burning

Jim.Washington — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:27:14 -0400

SUFFOLK A nearly 5,000-acre wildfire in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge has been contained, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The fire, which started June 9 with some logging equipment, was declared 100 percent contained on Aug. 20.

Swamp-fire smoke may have lowered bees' honey production

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:37:40 -0400

SUFFOLK The honey house is a sticky, sweet place this time of year. It is cramped with honey chambers and buckets of golden liquid, with a waist-high honey extractor and a man named Joe Taylor who works it. Every once in a while he will pause to lick the drippings from his fingers. "I don't want to waste it," he says. "It's thick this year. It's sweet."

Number of firefighters on hand for N.C. wildfire is reduced

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:04:37 -0400

By Ryan Hutchins The fire that raged through more than 40,000 acres of North Carolina forest and farm land - and sent smoke into Hampton Roads - appears to be nearly extinguished. A multi agency fire-fighting force that had totaled nearly 600 had been reduced to 93 by Wednesday. The fire has burned for more than two months in and around the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

Fire officials: Eastern NC wildfire 90 percent contained

Cindy.Clayton — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:25:23 -0400

COLUMBIA, N.C. Officials are sending firefighters home from an eastern North Carolina wildfire that is now 90 percent contained after burning more than 40,000 acres.