Thanks to Mike Archer's January 16, 2024 Wildfire News of the Day for providing the inspiration for today's post when he shared an article from the Daily Progress under the banner of the Madison Eagle. The article is "The Quaker Run Fire: From a Wildland Firefighter's point of view", dated January 15, 2024 may be found here . Some pictures from the Virginia Department of Forestry of the Quaker Run Fire may be found on their flicker page. The article in the form of a blog article is by John Rosetti, DOF Hardwood Iniative Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Forestry.
The Quaker Run Fire in Madison County Virginia was reported in late October 2023 and was at 100% containment in late December, burning just shy of 4,000 acres.
Direct link to video from 29News - WVIR Charlottesville VA on YouTube
Mr Rosetti walked us through fighting the Quaker Run Fire, I hope that you take some time to read the article that I cited above. I don't always know how long these links will last so I am listing some salient points that I took from his article.
1. Most wildfires in Virginia are fought during the day, however larger fires such as the Quaker Run Fire are also fought during the night.
2. Early on nighttime patrols of the Quaker Run Fire focused on ensuring that the fire did not jump containment lines and looking for spot fires. Once some containment was achieved, the nighttime focus shifted to eliminating dangers such as dead trees (aka snags) as well as other dangers.
3. During the day as many as 200 wildland firefighters were working the fire with the support of helicopters, engines, UTVs, and bull dozers.
4. A good map of the fire is essential, such a map was created early on and amended as required showing the location of structures, roads, trails and other areas requiring protection.
5.After several days, a written Incident Action Plan (IAP) was developed to help wildland firefighters and other responders work the fire and stay safe. The IAP was updated nightly for the following day.
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