Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 21, 1993 TAG: 9304210100
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Short
Nearly 100 firefighters from Wytheville, Rural Retreat, Max Meadows, Ivanhoe, Speedwell and Barren Springs fire departments worked with forestry employees to beat back the fires, which broke out Monday evening.
"The biggest problem was just exhaustion," said Wytheville Deputy Fire Chief Ikey Davidson. "Everybody just got worn out."
He said it was the worst fire since a similar one burned another part of Sand Mountain about eight years ago. Despite all the recent snow and rain, the woods on top of the mountain are dry and the fires spread rapidly.
Wytheville firefighter Robert Eastwood, one of the first on the scene, said there were three major fires and other spot fires. It was not known how the fires started.
The blazes left some residents temporarily without electricity and also eliminated the Roanoke, Lynchburg and Bluefield television stations from the cable system serving Wytheville.
A haze from the smoke covered much of the town of Wytheville on Monday night. A large plume of smoke from the mountaintop was visible from town Tuesday. Sand Mountain is in central Wythe County.
- Southwest bureau
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.