Firefighters contain 300-acre wildfire on Accomack bayside

Coble and Clarke conduct mop–up on the Clearwater Fire. 

Virginia Department of Forestry personnel and volunteers from four local fire departments worked together last week to contain a wildfire that burned more than 300 acres on the bayside of Accomack County.

Area foresters Robbie Lewis and D.W. Coble, Forest Technician Kenny Midgett and Water Quality Specialist Emmaline Clark responded with volunteer firefighters from Onancock, Painter, Melfa and Wachapreague.

The fire began in an isolated marsh before winds pushed the flames ashore. Ground crews worked to prevent the fire from spreading farther inland and completed containment lines around the affected area.

A single-engine air tanker dropped water on areas that could not be reached by ground crews. The aircraft also provided aerial reconnaissance to help firefighters monitor the fire’s movement.

“Believe it or not, wildfires are a regular occurrence in the marshes of Virginia’s Eastern Shore,” Lewis said. “The coastal landscape has plenty of highly flammable fuels, including wax myrtle, invasive phragmites and abundant dead plants that have been killed by salt exposure.”

Lewis said limited access and persistent winds from the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean can make marsh fires particularly difficult to contain.

“Thanks to a team effort between DOF and our local partners, this fire did not damage any homes or structures,” Lewis said.