Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006
TRIANGLE, VIRGINIA - As of 1700 hours on March 28, 2006, the wildland fire at Prince William Forest Park is estimated at 300 acres and 80% containment. Weather conditions have been favorable in the late afternoon allowing firefighters to make good progress. The objective is to tie in the hand crews working the east and west flanks respectively.
Approximately 2 ? crews (35 persons) consisting of federal agencies have been fighting the fire today. In addition, three federal wildland engines, and engines from Prince William County Fire are assisting. For safety reasons, hand crews will be removed from the fire line this evening and federal wildland engine crews will patrol and monitor the fire overnight.
On Wednesday March 29, 2006, the plan will be to complete any containment and begin aggressively mopping up the fire. Mop-up is the term for ?extinguishing or removing burning material near control lines, felling snags, and trenching logs to prevent rolling after an area has burned, to make a fire safe, or to reduce residual smoke?.
Park staff has closed approximately seven miles of Park Scenic Drive, Oak Ridge Campground, and numerous trails leading into the fire area. Visitors may call the park visitor center at (703) 221-7181 for closure updates.
At 15,000 acres, Prince William Forest Park is one of the largest National Park Service units in the National Capital Region. The park protects over 150 historic structures built during the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The finest examples of CCC buildings within the park are the five cabin camps that were used as overnight ?nature camps? for families from the Washington, D.C. area for almost fifty years. Today, those cabins can be rented individually or in large groups for a rustic experience in the great outdoors only 35 miles south of Washington, D.C.
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