| Contact Information | Date |
|---|---|
| For Immediate Release Contact: John Campbell 434.220.9070 434.989.0665 |
Apr. 30, 2008 VDOF-08014 |
Busiest Spring Fire Season in 45 Years Ends Today;
VDOF Firefighter Burned Battling One of the 948 Fires
With more than 25,000 acres burned since January 1st, officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) are happy to have had the April rains and are looking forward to the official end of spring fire season tonight.
The 25,646 acres that burned in just the first four months of 2008 total more than what burned during an entire year for each of the past 45 years. You have to go all the way back to 1963 – when 44,823 acres burned that entire year – to have seen more acres burned in Virginia.
Today marks the official end of spring fire season in the Commonwealth. Each year, from February 15th to April 30th, Virginia experiences weather conditions (low humidity, limited precipitation, winds, downed tree limbs, dried leaves, brown grass) that hasten the spread of wildfires. Since the 1940s, Virginia’s 4 PM Burning Law has helped reduce the risk of wildfires by preventing open burning before 4 p.m. each day during this 75-day period.
“This was definitely a spring for the record books,” said John Miller, VDOF’s director of resource protection. “And there are a lot of people around the state who hope that we never see a record like this again.”
Of the 948 wildland fires that have occurred since the first of this year, 360 happened in one day (Feb. 10, 2008) when a front blew across the Commonwealth bringing high temperatures, low humidity and gale-force winds that snapped power lines and ignited more fires and burned more acres (16,000) in a single day than the Agency has ever experienced in a 24-hour period in its 94-year history.
“Most of our 200 full-time firefighters responded to multiple fires on February 10th,” Miller said. “With the help of our part-timers and a lot of volunteer, municipal and county firefighters, most of the fires were suppressed that same day.”
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency February 10th and activated the Virginia National Guard. The soldiers were trained by VDOF firefighters and helped with fire suppression efforts in Bedford and Roanoke counties during the week of February 11 – 16.
State Forester Carl Garrison said, “VDOF employees protected a total of 547 homes and 365 other structures (such as barns, garages, sheds) during the first four months of 2008. That’s a lot of lives and property saved.”
Fighting wildland fires is extremely dangerous, and the men and women who work for the VDOF risk their lives everyday to ensure the safety and well being of Virginia’s citizens. One VDOF firefighter was severely burned April 19th when a wall of flames shot through the open cab of a fireplow he was operating while trying to suppress a 822-acre fire in a pine plantation in Buckingham County. The 20-year veteran received second- and third-degree burns and had to be airlifted to UVa Hospital for treatment. He spent more than a week in the intensive care unit and will require a series of skin grafts.
Garrison said, “He was in the initial attack phase of the suppression effort plowing a line around the fire when the wind suddenly shifted and pushed the flames right through the cab. Thankfully, he survived, but the road to recovery will be a long one. We hope all Virginians keep him in their thoughts and prayers.”
The cause of the fire in Buckingham County is still under investigation.
The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.
With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 184,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $29 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.
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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, there are Forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.
With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 184,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $29 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.
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