VA is on fire; Gov. Kaine activates National Guard
Sun Feb 10, 2008 at 07:41:20 PM PDT
Large swaths of Western Virginia are on fire tonight.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has declared a state of emergency in Virginia, directing state agencies to take all necessary actions to aid in the response to multiple wildfires that have broken out across the commonwealth.
In addition, the governor has authorized activation of Virginia National Guard personnel and equipment to assist with the wildfires.
Source ~ Virginian Pilot
Kossacks in affected areas: Please check in!
Update: The fires DO appear to be localized. There are hundreds of them in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, but things do appear to be under control.
Homes are being evacuated and the power is out:
Bedford County issued an evacuation order for the Montvale area after a wildfire grew up to more than two-thirds of a square mile, or 500 acres, by Sunday, said county spokesman Bill Hoy.
Since then, 30-plus-mph winds created so much smoke that gauging the fire's size became impossible. The number of people affected by the evacuation was not immediately known. An elementary school was set up as an evacuation center.
Source ~ AP
The fires have spread as far east as Charlottesville:
At 5 p.m. Sunday, 10,800 homes were without power in Charlottesville and Albemarle and Fluvanna counties, according to Richard Zuercher, spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power. By 8:30, 5,960 customers still had no power.
(snip)
The smell of smoke wafted through the area in the afternoon and evening. Downed power lines ignited numerous brush fires in Albemarle, said county spokeswoman Lee Catlin.
"The windy conditions quickly spread those fires out of control," she said.
The largest fires occurred near Green Creek Road, Plank Road and the Ballards Mill and Garden Gate areas.
Just west of Charlottesville, off of Garth Gate Lane, billows of smoke could be seen rising from a fire burning in a wooded area adjacent to the Oakencroft Vineyard and Winery.
Charles Ancona, the director of Oakencroft, watched as fire crews worked throughout the afternoon and evening to contain the fire and keep it from spreading into the vineyard.
Source ~ Charlottesville Daily Progress
Hundreds of western Virginia homes were under a mandatory evacuation as wildfires spread. High winds took down trees and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses.
Source ~ Washington Post
Richmond Area:
Falling trees cut power lines at two locations in Pittsylvania County on Sunday afternoon, trig-gering rapidly-spreading fires as a result of high-speed winds.
One blaze destroyed three abandoned buildings and scorched about 100 acres off Ferguson Road in Ringgold, knocking out power, taxing area departments and sending one firefighter to the hos-pital with minor injuries after a small tree fell on him.
Another blaze burned about five acres and threatened residences along Little Creek Road immediately north of Danville.
The fires were just two among many smaller fires in the county and others across southern Virginia, prompting Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to declare a state of emergency in the commonwealth.
Source ~ WSLS
80,000 in Roanoke area without power.
Wildfires are also burning in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Wind-whipped wildfires chased churchgoers from worship, forced hundreds of residents to flee homes and closed highways across the rain-starved Carolinas and Virginia on Sunday.
At least one business and an unknown number of homes and small structures were damaged by a blaze near the South Carolina coast, though no injuries were reported, authorities said.
About 60 homes were briefly evacuated Sunday afternoon as the blaze sent smoke billowing above this city of about 11,000 people about 15 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach.
"The flames were at the top of the trees and I could feel the heat," said Lewis Cooper, 37, who fled the fire.
In North Carolina, winds gusting up to 60 mph in some areas toppled trees and power lines and also fanned brush fires.
Source ~ Washington Post
More on North and South Carolina:
All of North Carolina was under a red flag warning, meaning outdoor burning is prohibited. The warning stems from the passage of a strong cold front that whipped up the strong winds.
The eastern half of South Carolina was under a red flag fire warning Sunday, with winds gusting up to 30 mph and low humidity, according to the National Weather Service. The ground also is dry, which creates dangerous wildfire conditions.
Around South Carolina, 106 forest fires were reported by Sunday evening, state officials said.
Source ~ Washington Post
Fires in Asheville, North Carolina
Wildfires force evacuations in South Carolina
Rocky Mount, North Carolina: Fires rage across area.
Eastern North Carolina:
All of the state was under a red flag warning, meaning outdoor burning is prohibited. The warning stems from the passage of a strong cold front that whipped up the strong winds. The warning was cancelled for southeastern counties Sunday night.
Officials with the state Division of Forest Resources reported brush fires in at least seven counties in eastern North Carolina. Firefighters in Tyrrell County were facing a 300-acre fire which was threatening some buildings.
The division also reported 250-acre fires in Chowan and Camden counties, and smaller fires in Pasquotank, Gates, Dare and Washington counties.
Source ~ blueridgenow
From kossack Lipo:
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina Red Cross locations
From kossack faithfull:
An offer of shelter in Charlottesville.
My brother, sister-in-law and nieces had to evacuate their home in Southern California last October, when it was threatened by the Witch Fire. Eight houses on their street (of the 16 formerly there) were destroyed. Theirs was damaged. But they were safe.
Prayers and special thoughts for the people and animals in harms' way tonight.
