| Name: |
effie
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/25/2006 7:40:53 PM
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Fire on the mountain next to smith mountain started small around 9:00 am on top but burned all day. Keep thinking someone would come to fight the fire. Couple of planes came over but nothing ever happened. Does anyone know why it was allowed to burn all day ?
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| Name: |
JohnGalt
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/25/2006 7:51:45 PM
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Saw the fire early this morning as we were wakeboarding with the kids. It looked like a volcano since the fire seemed to start at the very top and burn it's way down the mountain. Don't know how easy it is to get to the mountain top with any fire fighting equiptment. The fire seemed to get the under brush only but put out a lot of smoke.
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| Name: |
Blue Creeker
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| Subject: |
Did you call...
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Date:
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6/25/2006 8:01:56 PM
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....the fire dept?
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| Name: |
bass25
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/25/2006 8:07:00 PM
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We just got back home to Atlanta from the lake. At 3:30 we took the boat over there and it was still burning good. As an ex firefighter, that was something that needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. There are plenty of ways that the forestry serive can get in there. With the woods as dry as they are right now, any little spark sent off by the main fire could start fire elsewhere. It was collecting quite a crowd though. Hope it burned out and no other damage as happened. Does anyone know if it's still burning?
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| Name: |
babygirl
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| Subject: |
Sounds like a controll
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Date:
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6/25/2006 8:36:17 PM
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burn to me. If not, I think they would have been all over it. Been there and done that. It has always been a contolled burn. Hope I am right on this one.
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| Name: |
Osms
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/25/2006 8:56:39 PM
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We reported it on 911 just before 9 AM and the operator said that it had already been reported. Doubt that it was a controlled burn (real stupid move if it was). We came back by at 3:45 and it had burned down almost to the water on the south side. Some forestry equipment was seen on site on the west side, so something was finally being done. It rained some about 4:30 and the smoke seems to have lessened so maybe it'll die down. Sure hate it.
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| Name: |
Maddog
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/25/2006 9:54:40 PM
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I just came from Smith Mountain and at 8:30pm central time the fire was back up and moving toward the old fire tower. The rain slowed it down for a while, but now it's moving pretty fast. I sure hope the service gets in there in the morning and puts a stop to the fire.
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| Name: |
effie
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/25/2006 10:02:43 PM
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Just came from there as well at 9:00. My sons had gone up about 1:00 with shovels and an axe but they could make much of an impact. They did see a bulldozer trying to make a control line by making a trail down the mountain to the west. When we just looked it appeared the fire had jumped that trail, but hard to tell at night. Guess we will see in the morning. It's burning to every side all the way to the water,
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| Name: |
crappyking
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/25/2006 10:47:38 PM
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I certainly applaud the efforts of you sons effie. As of right now, I can see the fire is still burning strong with a good stiff breeze blowing out of the north west. I dont think that I would be sleeping too soundly tonight if I lived in the Smith Mtn. Estates area.
We also called 911 around 10:30 AM. At that time, the fire was small enough to make me think that a couple of water buckets dropped from a helicopter would put it out in short order. It looks like its way too late for that now.
This surely angers me seeing yet another beautiful area of the lake being destroyed!!
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| Name: |
chicken little
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 6:54:31 AM
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I have a place in Smith Mountain Estates but won't be there until this weekend. Is the fire under control ? How large of an area was damaged ?
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| Name: |
Kingfish
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 7:53:30 AM
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We live just across from Smith Mountain. It is now 0645 monday morning and smoke has been very heavy since we were up at 0500. Queenfish and I will check it out later today and post. We also reported the fire around 0900 Sunday morning and I too, am surprised that the fire was allowed to spread that much without some sort of equipment. I will say that, once it was allowed to spread, it is far too steep on the south side (open water) to stop it. I have some strong concerns for Smith Mountain estates if we don't get some good rain today. God bless
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| Name: |
Osms
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 10:19:35 AM
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Just went by the fire and found a lot of smoke from burning 'lighter wood' pine stumps, and some small moving brush fires. Some damage to tall pines, but most damabe to undergrowth. Hopefully, some effort will be made today to contain the fire and not let it spread. Do our forestry people only work M-F, 8-5?
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| Name: |
JUA
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 11:15:26 AM
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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.
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| Name: |
SCARAB MAN
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 1:52:40 PM
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I live within rock throwing distance from the mountain,everything look fine from the entrance (North end)this morning.
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| Name: |
HTMLman
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 2:30:20 PM
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Controlled burns have a lot of controls. One is to start after 6pm so as not to allow the heat of the sun to worsen the heat.
I am considering a controlled burn for some day in the wetter future. We will start ten feet down hill from our fire break and when its burned out, go down another ten feet downhill an so on. We will let the fire burn uphill untill it is out of fuel. City water availible for control.
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| Name: |
Kingfish
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 3:15:52 PM
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Kingfish back,
We took a ride just a few minutes ago (1410) and things seem to be under control, so to speak. That is to say that the fire would have to get much past the fire tower to endanger structures, So thank God, maybe all the homes will be safe. It does seem to be burning the undergrowth and not the major pines.
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| Name: |
effie
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 8:07:33 PM
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Went by before we left today and it appears the bulldozer path stopped the fire from spreading to the west. It is burning out elsewhere. While most of the damage is to the undergrowth, it looks like about half of the large pines are brown to the top but not completely burnt. I assume those will come back next year.
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| Name: |
Lakeman
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| Subject: |
Fire on Smith Mountain
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Date:
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6/26/2006 8:26:06 PM
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Everyone watch out for the logging trucks.
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| Name: |
Maverick
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| Subject: |
Alex City Outlook Article
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Date:
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6/27/2006 8:36:52 AM
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Although the blaze engulfing a small mountain in Dadeville is currently no threat to local residents, the fire should probably continue for several more days.
For the last three days, a large plume of eye-irritating smoke has risen from the side of an unnamed mountain, which is located just south of Smith Mountain in Dadeville. "The fire probably started Saturday night by a lightning strike on top of the hill," said Dan Hart of the Dadeville Volunteer Fire Department.
Hart said the fire probably started out pretty small, which was why it was not reported until Sunday morning. The DVFD went out to assess the situation and then contacted the Alabama Forestry Commission, who is more equipped to handle larger forest fires.
The forestry commission used a bulldozer on Sunday and Monday to dig a trench around the fire in order to keep it contained, Hart said. With no fuel, the fire should burn itself out within a week or so, he said.
"It'll burn out," Hart said. "There's no need for alarm."
With the fire contained, unless there are some extremely strong winds in the next few days, no residents or property should be in danger. However, the fire will destroy about 40 acres worth of forest on the mountain, Hart said.
Alabama, and especially the city of Dadeville, do not normally have fires of this type, he said. "This was a spectacular fire for our area," he said.
The fire was so hot, and the trees were at such an angle, that flames were literally able to jump from treetop to treetop. Fires of this type are usually seen out west, Hart said.
Since fire breakers have been dug, both the forestry commission and the DVFD have left the scene. "There's nobody stationed there," Hart said. But someone will be sent to check on the fire's progress from time to time.
Even with the area's recent rainstorms, Hart said it is still very dry and people need to be mindful so that more fires, such as the mountain fire, are not created. "Never leave a fire unattended," he said.
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| Name: |
roswellric
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| Subject: |
4th of July
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Date:
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6/27/2006 9:12:25 AM
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should be exciting for the fire depts.
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| Name: |
roswellric
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| Subject: |
Pictures look like
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Date:
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6/27/2006 10:14:58 AM
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the steep rocky small mountain that has all the mountain laurel and rhododenderon...sure hope not....
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| Name: |
Blue Creeker
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| Subject: |
"Never leave a fire..."
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Date:
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6/27/2006 10:53:15 AM
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...and "No one is stationed..."
Kinda funny of the FD to say, eh?
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| Name: |
JUA
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| Subject: |
"Never leave a fire..."
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Date:
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6/27/2006 12:25:24 PM
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Yea, I noticed that too!
I like the part about we don't get fires like this very often. Even more reason to watch it like a hawk.
In our area, we rarely get "crown" fires, but when we do, you just have to get out of the way and find a place to starve the fire for fuel. It isn't possible to get enough water up in the crown fuels to stop a crown fire, even with aircraft. It is an "educational experience" to be under a crown fire when one starts, to say the least.
Sounds like the fire was probably of benefit to the overall heath of the small mountain by getting rid of underbrush and some of the less heathy pines. It'll look much nicer and more natural in a year or two.
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