Wildfires Occur in Virginia

By Broadside Staff Writer J.D. Mink

Fires swept across the southern and central regions of Virginia the weekend of the ninth. Due to the conditions, on Sunday, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency. According to CNN.com, fires in some areas caused road closings and home evacuations Sunday, and winds only worsened conditions across the state, propelling the fires even further.

Although many of the weekend blazes occurred in southern and central Virginia, fires were sparked in all parts of the state. Recent dry weather and fallen power lines were to blame for the cause of the fires. Fires were magnified due to the weekend weather conditions, which under normal circumstances may have been easily regulated.

According to a news release from Kaine on Sunday regarding the fires, “A declaration of emergency allows the governor to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment and other emergency response resources and to coordinate state and local response to the event.”

In particular situations, declarations of emergency are often used by governors when assistance is needed in the relief and aid process.

During the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco was forced to declare a state of emergency before receiving Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance from the federal government. The Virginia National Guard was called in to assist in containing the fires. This was the first time since last year that they had been called to work.

In addition to the National Guard, a group from northern Virginia made up of workers from Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington counties, was sent to assist in the efforts to contain the fires. According to WTOP.com, teams comprised of local jurisdictions have come together before in order to respond to large disasters such as the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina.

According to CNN.com, the web site confirmed reports of numerous home losses, but early reports said Virginia state officials were not aware of any injuries as a result of the fires; however, Tuesday, WTOPNews.com reported that there were injuries in both Stafford County and Prince William County. Due to the blazes, Virginia firefighters sustained injuries as well. According to FoxNews.com, in portions of the western part of the state, both businesses and homes were without power on Monday.

A report on MSNBC.com said that presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were scheduled to be in Roanoke, Va., but weather conditions prevented their visits. However, former president, Bill Clinton, announced from the stage at George Mason University’s Johnson Center Monday night that he had been campaigning in Roanoke prior to coming to speak to campus.

Virginia was not the only east coast state with fire breakouts that weekend as some fires were also reported in northeastern North Carolina and in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. Fires in that area even forced church service evacuations last Sunday, according to CNN.com and FOXNews.com. Reports came in of over 100 fires in South Carolina as well.

Although conditions were difficult in other parts of the state, the northern Virginia area was not spared from fires either. The WashingtonPost.com reported that 24,000 customers in our region “had been affected,” according to a Dominion Virginia Power statement. Also according to the Web site, damage to trees, vehicles and other structures were reported to have occurred in Washington, D.C. and outlying areas. In addition to fires, the heavy winds also caused flight delays.

In addition to Clinton and Obama’s cancelled Roanoke appearances, the fires did have further effects into Tuesday’s primaries when polling locations in Virginia were forced to move due to power outages caused by the winds. According to NBC4.com, in Maryland, weather conditions caused officials to extend the polls until 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.

Many of the students attending Mason come from different cities all over Virginia; therefore, many are directly affected by the damage caused by the outbreak of the fires.