Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 7, 1990 TAG: 9007070386
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"The flames moved just like a tide," said David Kirk, minister of nearby Northminster Presbyterian Church on Greenland Avenue Northwest.
The blaze broke out about 4:30 p.m., and within 45 minutes had charred about half the field.
By 5:30 p.m., Roanoke firefighters, using eight engines and two tankers, had the blaze contained. No buildings were damaged or injuries reported.
The fire was located between I-581 and Greenland Avenue just south of Valley View. The vacant field, which contained a corn crop last year, is in the southern approach pattern for Roanoke Regional Airport.
Worried homeowners stood along the edge of the field as firefighters unraveled long hoses and plodded through back yards and knee-high wheat toward the flames.
"It was very dry," said Alice Gibbs, a resident of Greenland Avenue. "It was just like tissue paper. My husband said last week it could catch fire very easily."
The orange flames crackled as they formed a fiery wall about a half-mile long. The heat, pushed by a slight breeze, gnawed at the skin of those who stood too close.
As the flames approached, some residents began sprinkling water on grass at the edge of their back yards.
"My husband said, `Go call 911,' and he went to get the hose right away," Gibbs said.
Mary Via, who was returning home from work in Salem, expected something much worse.
"I thought a plane had finally crashed over there."
by CNB