June 19, 2008Fire spreads to 100 acres, could consume more than 1,000 The U.S. Forest Service says the Stone Coal fire has spread by 75 acres bringing the total acreage to 100 acres today as dry conditions, low humidity and westerly winds have fueled the fire. Chris Rose in the Forest Service public relations office said his agency has equipment on the ground and are assessing the fire with ground crews. He expects this fire will burn an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 acres before it is extinguished. He says the Augusta Hot Shots, a crack team of firefighters, are expected to arrive Friday to help fight the fire. On the site in the 6000 block of Breckinridge Mill Road, Ranger George Annis is maintaining voice contact with the two dozers coming across the top of Price's Mountain from the north and the ground crews which are using the horse trail below the fire to set up fire breaks. It is the rugged terrain that is the worst part of the fight with this fire. He has asked for a helicopter which Rose also mentioned but due to the fires in the Great Dismal Swamp, Annis is not sure that will occur. "The most important thing here is safety both for the community and the firefighters. We are performing what we call a "fire use fire." Because of the remote area we find the defendable spots and make a stand. We are trying to define the area and to get people and equipment in the right place to stop the fire and keep it from encroaching on private land,"said Annis. The fire will continue to be fanned by westerly winds through early evening when he expects the winds to die down. However, extremely low humidity tonight and dry conditions will continue to encourage the fire. He said to expect the smoke to lay in low in the valleys through the night. We had previous posts with photos about the fire earlier today and June 18. |
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Welcome to The Notebook, the community gathering place for news and tidbits from The Botetourt View, by community journalist Cathy Benson (that's her on the left). You'll be able to find the most up-to-date news, events and stories in Botetourt County here at this blog. And please join in! You can share your comments, stories, links and ideas here, too. This is your community conversation. .....Advertisement.....
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