NJFFSA16
05-06-2005, 06:00 AM
BIG FLATS, Wis. (AP) - More than 250 firefighters and four air
planes battled a forest fire that engulfed 3,900 acres of pines and
homes in central Wisconsin Thursday, causing at least 96 people to
be evacuated, officials said.
No one was injured, although one firefighter had to take a break
after he became dehydrated, said Jennifer Rabuck, fire information
officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
About 120 buildings, including homes, mobile homes, barns and
sheds, were within the 10 mile by 10 mile area that was evacuated
along Highway 13 in Big Flats and Colburn in Adams County, Rabuck
said.
Fire officials were concentrating on containing and
extinguishing the mile-wide fire and weren't sure how many
buildings were affected, she said. There were several subdivisions
that were burned, Rabuck said, but she wasn't sure to what extent.
They planned to survey the area upon daybreak Friday and
anticipated massive damage, she said. Fire officials also planned
to scale back the evacuation area by two miles by Friday morning,
she said.
Firefighters had about 50 percent of the fire contained by late
Thursday, Rabuck said.
At least 96 residents from the evacuated area attended a meeting
at the Pine Land Elementary School in rural Adams County Thursday
night, she said. She said five families planned to sleep at the
school and the others were staying with friends, family or at
hotels, Rabuck said.
Fire officials planned to work through the night to take
advantage of cooler temperatures, she said.
Someone reported a small brush fire at about 1:45 p.m. Thursday
in Big Flats and it quickly escalated, she said.
Four planes, two from Wisconsin and two from Minnesota, were
dropping water all day until sunset to try to confine the fire,
Rabuck said.
Twenty area fire departments and 250 firefighters with 60 pieces
of equipment were helping, she said.
Many of the trees are used in pulpwood manufacturing and some
were 20 to 25 feet high, Rabuck said.
Rabuck said they did not know the fire's cause Thursday evening.
Bob Manwell, a spokesman for the state Department of Natural
Resources, said the agency dispatched 30 bulldozer units with plows
that cut a swath through the flames to keep the fire from
advancing.
Deb Rogers said she and her husband, Bob, were forced to
evacuate their Big Flats home at about 2:30 p.m. as the flames came
up behind the home. Reached at a relative's house, she said "the
toughest part is not knowing what's going on with my home." She
hoped to get back to her house by morning.
"At first, I thought it was just a big rain cloud," Rogers
said. "It didnt look like smoke. It was just a thick cloud."
She said they were given about an hour to leave their home. They
grabbed some clothes, her purse and two dogs.
Primo Clementi, 57 and his wife, Lorraine were also evacuated
from their Big Flats home along with their daughter, Lisa Clementi,
37, and granddaughter, Echo Hoffman, 19.
"Our house most likely went up," said Hoffman, who is pregnant
and due in December.
She was worried she would lose all of her new baby items. The
family also had to leave behind a dog and cat and all other
valuables.
She and her mother and grandmother saw the smoke when they were
driving home from a doctor's appointment in Wisconsin Rapids.
Lorraine Clementi said she thought, "Oh, my God, no."
"We don't have insurance, and that's what made my heart sink,"
she said. "And then we stopped and prayed at the side of the road,
and I know my house is protected."
Jim Gobel, who has been a forestry technician for the state DNR
for 16 years, said a fire of this magnitude is rare in Wisconsin.
"Wisconsin hasnt had a really big, huge fire like this in 25
years," he said. "This is a significant fire."
Gobel said fires such as this get into the crowns of the trees,
and when that happens it's nearly impossible to stop.
Gobel said sandy soil, gusty winds and conifer pine trees create
a high fire risk.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
planes battled a forest fire that engulfed 3,900 acres of pines and
homes in central Wisconsin Thursday, causing at least 96 people to
be evacuated, officials said.
No one was injured, although one firefighter had to take a break
after he became dehydrated, said Jennifer Rabuck, fire information
officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
About 120 buildings, including homes, mobile homes, barns and
sheds, were within the 10 mile by 10 mile area that was evacuated
along Highway 13 in Big Flats and Colburn in Adams County, Rabuck
said.
Fire officials were concentrating on containing and
extinguishing the mile-wide fire and weren't sure how many
buildings were affected, she said. There were several subdivisions
that were burned, Rabuck said, but she wasn't sure to what extent.
They planned to survey the area upon daybreak Friday and
anticipated massive damage, she said. Fire officials also planned
to scale back the evacuation area by two miles by Friday morning,
she said.
Firefighters had about 50 percent of the fire contained by late
Thursday, Rabuck said.
At least 96 residents from the evacuated area attended a meeting
at the Pine Land Elementary School in rural Adams County Thursday
night, she said. She said five families planned to sleep at the
school and the others were staying with friends, family or at
hotels, Rabuck said.
Fire officials planned to work through the night to take
advantage of cooler temperatures, she said.
Someone reported a small brush fire at about 1:45 p.m. Thursday
in Big Flats and it quickly escalated, she said.
Four planes, two from Wisconsin and two from Minnesota, were
dropping water all day until sunset to try to confine the fire,
Rabuck said.
Twenty area fire departments and 250 firefighters with 60 pieces
of equipment were helping, she said.
Many of the trees are used in pulpwood manufacturing and some
were 20 to 25 feet high, Rabuck said.
Rabuck said they did not know the fire's cause Thursday evening.
Bob Manwell, a spokesman for the state Department of Natural
Resources, said the agency dispatched 30 bulldozer units with plows
that cut a swath through the flames to keep the fire from
advancing.
Deb Rogers said she and her husband, Bob, were forced to
evacuate their Big Flats home at about 2:30 p.m. as the flames came
up behind the home. Reached at a relative's house, she said "the
toughest part is not knowing what's going on with my home." She
hoped to get back to her house by morning.
"At first, I thought it was just a big rain cloud," Rogers
said. "It didnt look like smoke. It was just a thick cloud."
She said they were given about an hour to leave their home. They
grabbed some clothes, her purse and two dogs.
Primo Clementi, 57 and his wife, Lorraine were also evacuated
from their Big Flats home along with their daughter, Lisa Clementi,
37, and granddaughter, Echo Hoffman, 19.
"Our house most likely went up," said Hoffman, who is pregnant
and due in December.
She was worried she would lose all of her new baby items. The
family also had to leave behind a dog and cat and all other
valuables.
She and her mother and grandmother saw the smoke when they were
driving home from a doctor's appointment in Wisconsin Rapids.
Lorraine Clementi said she thought, "Oh, my God, no."
"We don't have insurance, and that's what made my heart sink,"
she said. "And then we stopped and prayed at the side of the road,
and I know my house is protected."
Jim Gobel, who has been a forestry technician for the state DNR
for 16 years, said a fire of this magnitude is rare in Wisconsin.
"Wisconsin hasnt had a really big, huge fire like this in 25
years," he said. "This is a significant fire."
Gobel said fires such as this get into the crowns of the trees,
and when that happens it's nearly impossible to stop.
Gobel said sandy soil, gusty winds and conifer pine trees create
a high fire risk.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)