Carrollton VFD battles 100-acre Louisa County blaze in response to statewide call for aid
Published 2:17 pm Thursday, March 21, 2024
Carrollton Volunteer Fire Department personnel who responded Wednesday to a statewide call for help battling a 100-acre wildfire in Louisa County should return home by Thursday evening, according to the department’s chief, Tim Nunez.
Louisa, located more than 130 miles northwest of Carrollton, declared a state of emergency on March 20 in response to a series of wildfires exacerbated by a combination of strong winds, warm temperatures and low relative humidity.
The National Weather Service issued “red flag” warnings on March 20 as far south as Isle of Wight and Surry counties, warning the dry and breezy conditions could allow fires to spread rapidly.
According to a Louisa County press release, the 100-acre fire on Piney Mountain Road that Carrollton responded to was 75% contained as of 10:30 p.m. on March 20. Another 200-acre fire on Taylors Gap Road was only 25% contained as of the same time, according to an Albemarle County press release.
“Carrollton crews worked through the night to monitor and maintain the fire line for the 100-plus-acre fire at Piney Mountain, working with several crews from across the commonwealth in support of Albemarle County Fire & Rescue,” Nunez said.
According to Nunez, this is the only the second time in 15 years that Carrollton has responded to a statewide mutual aid request. Carrollton Tanker 10 responded by request in 2009 to Severn, North Carolina, more than 50 miles southwest, for a peanut warehouse fire.