Callahan Fire 72 percent contained
Eureka firefighters Justin Pilkington and Sam Westlin work along the edge of the Callahan Fire on Sept. 22. Pilkington worked a hose while Westlin used a rogue hoe to mop up the smoldering fire.
Will Langhorne/The Western News
As containment of the Callahan Fire continues, a Type III incident management team has taken over suppression efforts.
The local group assumed control from a Type II interagency management team on Sept. 28. As of Sept. 27, officials put the 1,276-acre fire at 72 percent contained. One crew, two engines, three pieces of heavy equipment, three helicopters and a total of 136 firefighters were engaged in the effort.
Over the weekend, crews cleared out fire-weakened trees that fell on Glad Creek Road. As firefighters continued to check for heat in the area of the spot fire, they cleaned out ditches along Smith Mountain and Glad Creek Road. While fire activity was already decreasing dramatically, the more than two inches of rain received by the region over the weekend reduced it further.
Forest Service officials have closed Callahan Creek Road from the junction with Ruby Three Mile Road, Snowstorm Road, South Fork Callahan Creek Road, Goat Creek Road, Smith Mountain Road and Glad Creek Road. Trail closures include Goat Creek, South Fork Callahan, Smith Mountain, Smith Lake, Roberts Mountain, Caribou Creek and North Fork Callahan.
An engine crew headed up Smith Mountain on patrol spotted the Callahan fire Sept. 8. Concentrated in a burn scar from 1992, the blaze reached 1,000 acres by Sept. 12.
Forest Service officials said the fire was human-started. Justin Erickson, former incident commander, said the blaze likely originated from a campfire at the base of Smith Mountain, but the investigation into the ignition source remains ongoing.