Fires threaten homes in N&S Carolina & Virginia

[GA Peach]

Fires threaten homes in North and South Carolina and Virginia
http://origin.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8225016

By PAGE IVEY Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 02/10/2008 05:15:27 PM PST

CONWAY, S.C.—Wind-whipped wildfires chased churchgoers from worship, forced hundreds of residents to flee homes and closed highways across the rain-starved Carolinas and Virginia on Sunday.

At least one business and an unknown number of homes and small structures were damaged by a blaze near the South Carolina coast, though no injuries were reported, authorities said.

About 60 homes were briefly evacuated Sunday afternoon as the blaze sent smoke billowing above this city of about 11,000 people about 15 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach.

"The flames were at the top of the trees and I could feel the heat," said Lewis Cooper, 37, who fled the fire.

In North Carolina, winds gusting up to 60 mph in some areas toppled trees and power lines and also fanned brush fires.

The Willow Spring Free Will Baptist Church in Cleveland, N.C., just south of Raleigh, was holding a worship service when a fire forced it to evacuate, the town's Fire Chief Chris Ellington said.

The church was spared any damage as high winds whipped the flames across 50 acres, burning two empty barns and threatening about 20 homes, Ellington said. No injuries were reported.

Hundreds of western Virginia homes were under a mandatory evacuation as wildfires spread. High winds took down trees and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency and activated the Virginia National Guard to help fight wildfires.

Fair Use disclaimer: http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/fai...disclaimer.htm

[abercrombie]

from the Ab account from SAS:

Wildfires in Virginia, North and South Carolina.

07:49 PM EST on Sunday, February 10, 2008

By 13News

NORFOLK -- Virginia Governor Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency after brush fires hit Hampton Roads and surrounding areas Sunday.

The declaration allows Gov. Kaine to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment and other emergency response resources, and to coordinate state and local response to the events.

Winds gusting up to 60 mph in some areas toppled trees and power lines and fanned brush fires across North Carolina Sunday. One brush fire closed a portion of Interstate 85, and downed power lines rerouted traffic on Interstate 40.

The state Highway Patrol reported a brush fire reduced visibility to zero on I-85 at the Vance-Granville county line. A patrol dispatcher said traffic was being rerouted to U.S. 158 into Granville County.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SC Fire Forces 60 Homes to Be Evacuated
3 hours ago

CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — A wind-whipped forest fire forced the evacuation of 60 homes and threatened to burn several houses as smoke billowed above this small city near the South Carolina coast Sunday, officials said.

[abercrombie]

CNN News this morning is saying there are 250 fires covering more than 6000 acres, some started by electrical wires rubbing on trees in the wind, others started by unsafe trash burning given the drought and windy conditions.

A number of homes have burned.

Perhaps some southerners will have a chance to write in with details.

[SCR]

Crews work to control wildfires in drought-ravaged South

RICHMOND, Virginia (CNN) -- Fire crews made progress Monday in Virginia against brush fires that had been fanned by gale-force winds, officials said.

Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency Sunday night after hundreds of fires broke out across western and central Virginia. The wind accompanied a strong cold front that sent temperatures into the teens.

Officials said a few houses had been lost and no injuries were reported.

Shelters were opened near residential areas threatened by the fires.

Similar fires flared up in the Carolinas. CNN affiliates reported some of the blazes started when the wind brought power lines into contact with tinder-dry trees.

The high winds had faded by Monday morning, but a spokesman for the Virginia governor's office said that fires were still burning in several areas.

Spokesman Gordon Hickey said some homes were lost. "I don't think anyone has been injured," he said.

As of Monday morning, Bob Spieldenner, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, said, "We don't think there are more than 100 to 200 fires statewide."

He said that "about a dozen houses were damaged that we know of," with a few likely to be declared a complete loss.....

In South Carolina, a similar wildfire outbreak destroyed at least 10 homes, state forestry officials said. No deaths have been reported.....

A spokesman for the Virginia Department of Forestry said about half of Virginia's 95 counties reported "significant" wildfires early Monday, but he had no estimate of the total acreage. The largest, about 400 to 500 acres, was in Bedford County, near Roanoke, where county officials reported at least 10 fires burning.....

Kaine's emergency declaration lets him organize people, equipment and resources to respond to the fires. Campbell said about 100 National Guard troops have been mobilized to help fight the fires, and his agency had five aircraft available to help.....

In Moyock, in northeastern North Carolina near the Virginia line, fire officials told about 1,000 residents Sunday night to evacuate their homes and go to a shelter in a middle school, reported CNN affiliate WVEC-TV in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

State forestry personnel battled the fires all day Sunday. State police and transport officials coordinated road closures made necessary by thick smoke and debris.

The South Carolina Forestry Commission reported 10 homes destroyed by wildfires that ranged up to several hundred acres. Firefighters were fighting more than 90 blazes statewide, but most were considered minor.....

Click link above for complete article from CNN

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