Note: This post was updated throughout the evening and into Thursday morning
A day of high winds across Virginia has led to several wildfires across the region including in Albemarle County. County Executive Jeffrey Richardson today interrupted the Board of Supervisors meeting in progress just before 5 p.m. to gather executive staff to discuss the matter. When the elected officials returned, Deputy County Executive Trevor Henry explained.
“There’s been an emerging emergency management scenario this afternoon with the red flag warnings today,” Henry said. “What started with a couple of brush fires early afternoon has progressed to somewhere in the order of 15 or so.”
Henry said Albemarle Fire Rescue crews are engaged, off-duty officers have been called in, and the call has been put out for volunteers.
“We are bringing all of our resources to bear on this but it is emerging,” Henry said. “We believe a majority of the fires are caused by downed power lines and so we believe it is still mostly rural but we’re trying to get a full assessment of that.”
Henry said the local emergency will allow the county to tap into state emergency management funds through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. He said other counties are also dealing with the same issue.
Supervisor Ann Mallek asked if Dominion has been asked to turn off some of the power lines due to the high winds. Henry said the county is in touch with the power utility.
At publication time, the motion to declare the emergency session was being put together by County Attorney Steven Rosenberg. Supervisors adopted the resolution around 5:30 p.m.
Meanwhile in Louisa County, crews are battling a large fire in the area of West Old Mountain Road and Yanceyville Road. They’ve begun evacuating people from the area.
This page will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
Update: 11:34 p.m. — Louisa County Press Release
“The Louisa County Fire & EMS and the Virginia Dept of Forestry have declared that the Louisa County fires in the West Old Mountain / Shannon Hill Roads have been 100% contained but are not 100% extinguished. Evacuation recommendations in the affected areas have been lifted at this time. Crews will remain in the area overnight, and throughout the day tomorrow to monitor conditions. All roads have now been reopened and residents are allowed to return to the affected area.”
We would like to thank all of our Louisa County First Responders and mutual aid partners from Fluvanna, Goochland, Henrico and Orange County for their assistance in the county’s time of need.”
Update: 11:00 p.m. — Albemarle County Press Release
Albemarle County has provided information on three major fires that crews have been responding to on a day with high winds.
The following is from a press release sent out at 11 p.m. this evening.
Three major fires occurred this afternoon/evening. Here are the most recent status updates from each location, as of 10:30 pm:
- Blackberry Hill Farm – 20+ acres, fire is out – Dept of Forestry remaining on scene overnight.
- Piney Mountain Road – 100+ acres, 75% contained – several homes and churches were evacuated via door-to-door notifications. Everyone was safely evacuated.
- Taylors Gap Road – 200+ acres, 25% contained – homes in the area were evacuated via emergency alerts and door-to-door notifications. The evacuation notice has been lifted at this time as the area homes are no longer threatened by flames. Portions of Taylors Gap Road remain closed.
Albemarle County is asking people to report any fire activity to 911, and to not burn anything at this time.
“ACFR leadership is actively preparing to appropriately staff these fires through the night and any additional emergencies that may arise tomorrow,” the release states.
Update: 9:08 p.m. — Louisa County press release at 9:07 p.m.
“The Louisa County Board of Supervisors issued a local State of Emergency at 5:30 this evening in response to a large fire off Shannon Hill Rd. Some residents in the areas of W. Old Mountain, Shannon Hill, Vigor, Tupalo Ridge, and Yanceyville Roads were asked to evacuate their homes. We have established an emergency shelter in the metal gym behind the Louisa County Middle School for those displaced. Pets are welcome at the shelter. Due to the metal gym being school property, please remember to store any firearms in the locked trunk of your vehicle. We have activated our Emergency Operations Center, and it is managing all Louisa County and mutual aid resources as well as helping make arrangements for those impacted by the fire. Some roads are being closed to keep traffic away from danger. We thank our surrounding counties and partner agencies for their support.”
Update: 7:14 p.m. — Charlottesville issues emergency burn ban
The City of Charlottesville has announced an emergency burn notice to avoid the possibility of more wildfires as a red flag warning remains in place.
“The use of open charcoal grills and fire pits are not permitted until further notice,” reads a press release sent out at 6:46 p.m. “Residents of the City of Charlottesville and surrounding communities are advised to stay indoors as much as possible and keep windows and doors closed to avoid exposure to smoke.”
Update: 7:36 p.m. — Louisa County opens evacuation center
From a press release sent out at 7:24 p.m.:
Louisa County Fire and EMS continue working a large fire in the area west of Shannon Hill Road between West Old Mountain and Yanceyville Rd. Homes are actively being evacuated, from the following roads:
- West Old Mountain Road – 1 mile from intersection of Shannon Hill Rd. (605)
- Yanceyville Rd – 1 Mile from intersection of Shannon Hill Rd (605)
- Vigor Road – East side of the road
- Tupalo Ridge
- Twin Oaks
A Temporary Shelter / evacuation center has been opened at the metal gym behind the Louisa County Middle School, 1009 Davis Hwy, Mineral VA 23117
Update: 5:54 p.m. — More from Albemarle County
Albemarle County has issued further information in a press release send out at 5:35 p.m.
“Career and volunteer units from Albemarle County are currently responding to approximately 10 active brush fires of varying sizes throughout the county, along with multiple calls for smoke investigations. Three outbuildings have been involved so far in the fires. Several structures are threatened by fires yet to be contained. The number of acres involved and the percentage contained are not yet available.”
“An evacuation alert has been sent to addresses on Taylors Gap Road and the side roads between Dick Woods (east) and Blandimar Road. Albemarle County Police Department officers are assisting with door-to-door notifications.”
Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment will be in the March 20, 2024 edition of the newsletter but is being posted first to this website to get the information out. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.
