NEWPORT NEWS, Va., June 18 (UPI) -- A fire in Virginia's Great Dismal Swamp is less than a quarter under control, federal officials said.
About 2,712 acres of the national wildlife refuge have already been burned, although firefighters are setting their own fires to eat up the blaze's fuel. The wildfire, which was started accidentally by a piece of logging equipment on June 9, is now an estimated 23 percent under control, the Newport News reported Wednesday.
About 370 people are fighting the flames, including 10 hand crews, nine engine crews, nine bulldozers, five helicopters and two aircraft.
The fire has thus far been contained to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which covers 111,000 acres. But it is reportedly growing near to the North Carolina Dismal Swamp State Park.
