Wildfire grows, and fire crews say that’s a good thing

By Lindsey Henley
WSLS10 Reporter
Published: August 25, 2008

    Nestled in the mountains of Alleghany County, the Peters Ridge Fire is creeping along slowly, nibbling on everything in its path.

    Sharon Mohney is with the U.S. Forest Service, and she says the bigger the appetite, the better.

  “We’re letting fire take its natural place in the ecosystem,“ Mohney said.

    Instead of putting out the fire, crews are trying to keep it to certain boundaries.

    “The result is going to be a variety of plants and wildlife for the future,“ she said.

    With rain in the forecast, burning all 26 hundred acres may not be possible. 

    Phillip Manual is meteorologist, and he’s keeping an eye to the sky.

    “When you’re dealing with fire you’re depending on weather to either help or hinder you,“ Manual said.

    But weather isn’t the only things crews are watching.  The Forest Service is dealing with a lot of challenges when it comes to fighting this fire, and one of them is the steep terrain.  Another challenge is insects.

    “The gnats can be bad, and this time of year yellow jackets and other stinging insects can be really difficult to deal with,“ Mohney said.

    As always mother nature will play a big part in how this story ends, as the Forest Service hustles to read her hand.