8/11/2011
Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Forestry today deployed a 20-man team to fight a 5,700 acre wildfire in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Virginia. The crew, led by Crew Boss and DOF Forester Chris White, is made up of 18 DOF employees and two non-agency employees, referred to as casuals. They are expected to serve a 14-day tour, but could extend their tour if needed.
The West Virginia crew joins more than 150 firefighters currently battling this blaze. The fire’s official name is the Lateral West Fire.
Although the Great Dismal Swamp may not sound like a place where wildfires would flourish, this fire has grown exponentially in the last week. It started as two small fires, one a 15-acre fire and the other a single-tree fire, on Aug. 4, 2011. Those fires combined and spread rapidly through the peat layer of the forested wetland and now burn over 5,700 acres of the wildlife refuge. Refuge officials say the fires were started by lightning.
The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. The refuge consists of more than 112,000 acres of forested wetlands. Lake Drummond, at 3,100 acres and the largest natural lake in Virginia, is located in the heart of the swamp.
For more information about the Division of Forestry visit
www.wvforestry.com.
Contact Information
Leslie Fitzwater, Public Information Specialist
304.957.9342 or 304.541.8102
Leslie.C.Fitzwater@wv.gov