Thursday, March 27, 2008

Fire on the mountain! Updated

Update: Thursday, noon - Over 1,300 acres have burned in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the Sherando/ Vesuvius area of Augusta County since a wildfire started three days ago. Strong winds are expected later today but rain has moved into the area and may help the situation.

St. Mary's Wilderness area is remote and rugged and difficult to access for the 80 firefighters working to bring the blaze under control. An additional 50 firefighters will arrive this evening to join in the battle.


It's prime time for forest fires in the national forests as dry conditions and high winds combine to make March and April the busiest times to fight fires. That was proven to be true Tuesday as a wildfire swept through parts of the St. Mary's Wilderness area of Augusta County.

The U.S. Forest Service has fought over 700 fires since the beginning of the year, and that number is expected to rise as dry conditions continue. Read more about the St. Mary's fire here.

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