2009.01.01
News release about Poor Mountain brush fire
Here is a news release from Jennifer Conley Sexton of Roanoke County Fire and Rescue on Wednesday night:
Firefighters Continue to Battle Brush Fire on Poor Mountain
December 31, 2008, 8:00 p.m. (Roanoke County) - Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department continues to battle a brush fire on the 221 side of Poor Mountain.
Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department was dispatched to a smoke report call around 3:00 this afternoon. Crews had to hike the mountain above Whitlows Auto Crushers off of Ridgelea Road to try and assess where the fire was spreading.
The department has approximately 30 personnel on scene made up of career and volunteer personnel. The Virginia Department of Forestry was called into to assist and have about 12 personnel on scene along with a bulldozer. These crews will work late into the night when efforts will be scaled back for safety reasons.
Additional crews will ramp up again early tomorrow morning and are expected to conduct back burning exercises starting between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon. Residents may see additional fire and smoke.
Crews have now been able to hike the fire area, map the gps coordinates and more accurately estimate that approximately 20 acres have now charred.
No homes are in immediate danger at this time. There are several small hunting cabins in the fire area that are not occupied at this time.
Fire investigators are trying to determine what started this fire.
Another update will be provided in the morning around 9 a.m. unless something significant happens before then.
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