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Trash collection in a few parts of Roanoke was delayed today because a few streets and about 15 alleys were blocked by downed trees and wires. The city is asking residents who have Monday collection to leave their Big Blue containers, recycling and bulk and brush at the curb; solid waste collection crews will recheck those streets on Tuesday.

Routes for the rest of the week will be collected on schedule.

Wednesday and Thursday routes include many alleys that are believed to be blocked. Solid waste crews will check Tuesday and report alley locations in need of tree clearing so that alley trash service can occur. Solid waste management crews will continue to collect brush from the storm a pickup-truck load at a time to provide service to as many as neighborhoods possible.

Crews in Craig County who have been assessing a forest fire near New Castle are awaiting help from more than 100 out-of-state firefighters expected to arrive tonight, the U.S. Forest Service said.

The blaze is burning 1,700 acres -- mostly national forest land -- about two miles southeast of New Castle, said public information officer Barbara Walker. No homes are threatened by the fire, which was reported about noon Sunday. The fire was sparked when a tree fell on a power line, Walker said.

Crews used a helicopter today to assess the fire, and they plan to begin building fire lines Tuesday with the help of the additional firefighters, Walker said. She did not know where the firefighters are coming from.

Sunday’s wind storms knocked power out to polling places throughout the area, sending election officials scrambling to find alternate voting locations for Tuesday's presidential primary.

Officials said today that as many as six polling places in the region could be affected.

In Roanoke, the outages affected two voting locations:

-- Raleigh Court Elementary will not be open.

-- Fairview Elementary will not be open.

It's not yet clear where residents who normally vote at those sites will go.

Roanoke County also had to move two polling places:

--Voters who vote at Masons Cove Elementary School will vote at the Masons Cove Fire and Rescue.

-- Voters who vote at Mountain Pass Baptist Church in Catawba will also vote at the Masons Cove Fire and Rescue.

In Botetourt County, Registrar Phyllis Dierschow said this afternoon that two polling place were without power. She said she would wait until early Tuesday morning to see whether the electricity was back. If there is no power, Diershow said the two polling places would be moved:

-- Voters who vote at the Glen Wilton Volunteer Fire Department in Oriskany would vote at Eagle Rock Elementary School.

-- Voters who vote at Rainbow Forest Baptist Church in Blue Ridge would vote at the Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire Department.

A brush fire in Roanoke County had spread to more than 2,000 acres by this afternoon, coming within a few feet of several homes but causing more scares than damage.

Although firefighters were no longer battling the fierce winds that fanned the fire when it started on Sunday, they had yet to bring it under control by mid-afternoon.

"It’s so large, we have what I would call pockets of containment," said Chief Rick Burch of the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department.

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Classes will be held at Virginia Western Community College this evening. Day classes had been canceled because of a power outage on the campus.

Three sites operated by Roanoke Parks and Recreation are closed until further notice due to power outages: Addison Fitness Center, Mountain View Center and Mill Mountain Discovery Center.

There is no estimate yet as to when the centers will reopen.

For more information, contact Recreation Superintendent Michael Clark at 853-1198.

Five polling places in Roanoke have had their power restored.

Highland Park Elementary School, William Ruffner Middle School, Windsor Hills United Methodist Church, Preston Park Recreation Center and Fishburn Park Elementary School have electricity again, according to the city registrar's office.

That means that only three city polling places are still in the dark: Fairview Elementary School, Westside Elementary School and Raleigh Court Elementary School.

Other polling places across the region remain without electricity on the day before the presidential primaries, however.

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The Salvation Army has opened the doors of its community center to people affected by the power outages.

The center at 724 Dale Ave. S.E. offers shelter, warmth and a variety of activities for children, adults and seniors. Staff members and volunteers will also be available for counseling.

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Water and sewer repairs on Cove Road are now expected to be finished late this afternoon or sometime this evening, according to Sarah Baumgardner, spokeswoman for the Western Virginia Water Authority.

Water and sewer mains both broke Sunday night. There is no water or sewer service between the 3000 and 3200 blocks of Cove Road and along some nearby streets, Baumgardner said.

It's not known what caused the mains to break, she said. A leak from one may have caused dirt to shift and break the lines. Workers plan to first repair the deeper sewer line, then the 12-inch water main.

An all-terrain vehicle on a National Forest trail is believed to have sparked the fire that began in Bedford County Saturday and caused mandatory evacuations, according to a county emergency services spokeswoman.

Janet Blankenship of the county's Fire and Rescue Services Department said a 16-year-old was operating an ATV on a restricted trail when the fire started. It is unclear exactly how the fire started or if the individual will be charged, she said. The U.S. Forestry Service will continue to investigate the fire.

Firefighters began battling the blaze early Saturday evening in the Goose Creek Valley area of Montvale. Extremely windy conditions Sunday spread the fire and forced the evacuation of more than 500 residences.

By noon today, Blankenship said the fire, which had spread to close to 1,000 acres, is approximately 10 percent contained. State and federal personnel will continue to assist more than 100 local volunteer firefighters battling the fire.

In the next couple of days, residents living east of the Camp Jaycee community will continue to see smoke as firefighters burn a ring around the fire in an effort to contain it, she said.

A second fire in Bedford County also continues to burn on Tolers Ferry Road in Huddleston, near Smith Mountain Lake. Blankenship said that fire has affected approximately 150 acres.

--Courtney Cutright