February 20, 2011

The Chopping Road Fire in Louisa County continued to burn Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The fire has damaged approximately 1,300 acres between Chopping Road, Old Country Road, Zachary Taylor Highway and Spring Road.

As of 6am Sunday, the fire was fully contained. Crews are now beginning the clean up process.

Residents evacuated from areas near the fire are now back in their homes. The emergency shelter, set up at Louisa County Middle School, is now closed.

One house, two sheds, one barn, and one vehicle were destroyed, with two additional houses sustaining minor damage.

In Albemarle County, the Ragged Mountain Fire in Ivy is now 80 percent contained. Crews are still working to contain some areas of the fire. An exact estimate of the size of the fire is still pending. However, the area involved several hundred acres.

The fire came feet from Ragged Mountain resident Kelly Mumma's house, but it stayed on the other side of the road.

"The whole mountain was completely blackened, and I just started to cry," Mumma said.

Crews returned to the Esmont Road and Browns Gap Turnpike fires throughout the night and Sunday morning. Small fires continued to flare up but were generally small fires within a contained area. They do not pose a threat for the spread of fire to unburned areas. The Esmont Road fire is estimated to have been contained to about 100 acres.

The situation across the state was so severe that state officials stopped by the Ragged Mountain fire, including the director of public safety, the director of the Department of Forestry and the governor's chief of staff.

"Our purpose today is to get out and see what else the state needs to be doing to assist local officials," Gov. Bob McDonnell's chief of staff Martin Kent said.

The cause of the Albemarle County fires is unknown and under investigation.

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February 19, 2011

Louisa County is under a State of Emergency, following a large brush fire near Chopping Road and Rt. 522, also known as Zachary Taylor Highway. Homes in that area are being evacuated. A shelter has been set up at Louisa County Middle School.

We are told the Chopping Road Fire started just after 2pm when a tree struck a power line. The fire broke out in a field in the 1000 block of Chopping Road. Since that time, it has spread across 1200 acres of land.

Three to four homes in Louisa County have caught fire as a result of the Chopping Road fire. People have been evacuated from their homes in the Mineral Trailer Park on Route 522. The Hidden Farm Subdivision, Dan Hall, Johnny Hall Road, Hancock Mill Road, Old Country Road, Spring Road, and Victory Lane have all also been evacuated.

A shelter has been set up at the Louisa County Middle School.

The fire continues to spread and has traveled east, north and south from Chopping Road to State Route 522. No injuries have been reported with this spreading fire.

Meanwhile, crews are battling multiple brush fires in Albemarle County Saturday afternoon. Some of the fires have been reported near structures.

We're told there are fires in the following areas: Esmont Road, Ragged Mountain Drive, Dick Woods Road and Thomas Jefferson Parkway.

A press release from Albemarle County says the major brush fire on Esmont Road is contained but crews continue to work the area.

A major brush fire on Browns Gap Turnpike is contained but crews remain on that scene as well.

The major brush fire on Dick Woods Road is not yet contained. Crews continue to work to contain this fire.

There is also a significant brush fire on Thomas Jefferson Parkway. Crews have cleared this scene.

Surrounding counties are also reporting brush fires.

We are posting viewer pictures of these fires as we receive them and have crews on location. Send your pictures to news@newsplex.com.

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February 18, 2011

Shortly after 5 p.m. on Friday, a brush fire broke out near the 5th Street westbound ramp of Interstate 64 West. The fire caused the ramp to close. The brush fire was one in a long string of fires that have been spreading throughout the area over the past week.

The Virginia Department of Forestry estimates there have been almost thirty wildland fires this past week. Firefighters warn there will be especially dangerous conditions on Saturday, when a Red Flag warning is in effect from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

A Red Flag warning means conditions are prime for brush fires. There will be low humidity, high winds and warm temperatures which will generate an explosive fire growth potential.

By law, no residents of Albemarle County are allowed to burn outdoors until 4 p.m. on Saturday, however county officials are asking residents not to burn at all.

On Saturday, Albemarle County is on a category five stand-by, meaning all fire officials are on high alert and ready to respond.

"Tomorrow we have 30-60 mile per hour winds, so that any little spark that causes a fire is going to take off and go, way faster than what most people realize. Or have any ability to control on their own," said John Miller of the Department of Forestry.