Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 13, 1995 TAG: 9504130065
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW CASTLE LENGTH: Medium
Rain dampened the forest floor Wednesday but did not douse the embers from three contained fires in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
"We're not out of the woods yet," said Mike Antalosky, forester with the national forest. "What we really need is a nice steady rain for the next couple of days."
But the rain that drenched firefighters, forcing some into waiting chartered buses, was not expected to last. The National Weather Service called for mostly sunny weather today and did not forecast any precipitation through Sunday.
At Roanoke Regional Airport, only two-tenths of an inch of rain fell, not enough to soak the dirt and allay firefighters' fears.
"The soil is dry within a short distance," said Dan Sullivan of the National Park Service as he stood along Virginia 311 near what's being called the Johns Fire.
Sullivan scooped a handful of dirt from the ground and let the powdery soil fall through his fingertips. The rain had moistened only about a quarter-inch of the top layer.
Without a soaking rain, winds could stoke the hot embers and reignite a fire, he said. It is a danger that firefighters will watch throughout the weekend, using helicopters to patrol the area.
The fires that began roaring through the national forest in Craig County on Saturday have damaged nearly 5,200 acres, endangered homes and mobilized hundreds of firefighters from around the country.
Some of those crews have since been dispatched to other fires in the Southeast. Late Tuesday, about 80 firefighters were sent to battle a fire in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee.
So far, the cost to fight the fires in Craig County has risen to nearly $1 million and could reach $2 million, depending on how long the firefighters are needed.
Wednesday, the fires - two along Virginia 311 and one off Virginia 617 - were fully contained. The burning left most of the trees standing, but blackened the forest floor, leaving ash and embers.
Just south of New Castle on Virginia 311, near the Cove Fire, smoke still could be seen billowing from charred logs. The smell of pine and fire hung in the air.
Several miles up the road, at the Johns Fire, Dan Sullivan's crew waited as rain pelted the firefighters' yellow slickers. For four hours, they mopped up along the fire lines other crews had dug to contain the flames. They focused their efforts on breaking up smoldering wood, stump holes and ash.
They tested the ground with their bare hands for heat, digging out hot spots and mixing in cooler, damper dirt. They built water bars - a line of dirt that diverts water to prevent erosion.
"We've had some hard work out here," said Sullivan, who flew in Monday from Pennsylvania. "It's not the most exciting part, but it's one of the most important parts."
But as a driving rain moved into the area, Sullivan called his crew out of the forest. The ash mixed with the rain made it too slick to work on the mountainside.
"I can't see with a clear conscience sending these people back on those ridges," he said.
The rain can do more than any firefighter at this point, said Stephen Elmore of the U.S. Forest Service.
"When the fires get as big as these three have gotten, we don't have a prayer," said Elmore, who works in the New Castle District. "We just wait until the rain comes. You don't need to do much in the rain. If you send your crews out, you get your crews sick."
The weather was a welcome relief to arson investigators trying to determine the cause and the starting point of the three fires. It's known that two of the fires began in ditches on the side of the road.
For the first time since Saturday, they were able to catch a few hours of sleep before they began plotting the path of the fires and poring over evidence collected from the fire sites and statements given by eyewitnesses to the blazes.
The heat was so intense at the Cove Fire that investigators have been unable to conduct an on-site analysis.
"An investigation like this is very detailed and meticulous," said Woody Lipps, a law enforcement officer with the national forest. "It's sure to proceed very slowly. ... But the weather has eased things a bit for us. We've gotten to recharge a little bit."
The next step for firefighters will be to rehabilitate the scorched land by planting grass, preventing erosion and repairing private property that was damaged during their efforts.
Anyone with information about any of the fires is asked to call the national forest office, (703)265-6054.
by CNB