Eau Claire Lakes Topics: Fire on Smith Mountain

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	Name:	JUA -
	Subject:	Fire on Smith Mountain
	Date:	6/26/2006 11:15:26 AM

If the fire mainly burned undergrowth, it is probably a good thing in the end, as long as no structures were burned. Healthy pines have a good distance from the forest floor to the first limbs, so a fire like this generally only damages the less healthy pines. It clears the underbrush and actually makes the area safer from fire in the future. It also depletes the number of ticks and chiggers for a while.
Such a fire can be complex to put out. Obviously, if the lake is a natural stopping line, it is often used and manpower and equipment put on the flanks of the fire to keep it from structures.

From the reports, it appears the fire came down the mountain instead of burning up it. There have been firefighters killed when operating on ridges and mountains as fires ascent faster than they can run and from logs rolling down the mountain if working below a fire. There are specific guidelines for working such fires including always working from "the black," or from a burned area. Not to be critical of non-trained efforts, but they are usually a very bad idea. A command system was used and persons in the area have to be accounted for every so often. Please don't free-lance, but let the firefighters know where you are and follow their directions.

One other thing, if the local FD doesn't have equipment or personnel to fight such a fire, make sure you write a check to help them out. As for forestry hours, I don't know. In my county, there is no state forestry crew or equipment so the local rescue squad handles almost all but 1 or 2 woods fires each year of about 45 total. We do pay taxes for state forestry equipment, though.

Glad to hear it is contained and mostly stumps and snags burning at this point. I can remember Smith Mountain burning back in the 1970s.