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Firefighters Make Progress as New Fire Ignites

July 1, 2008

Despite extremely dry conditions, the Pool 08 Fire on the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana remained at 2,345 acres today.  Control lines now ring 85 percent of the fire’s perimeter. Firefighters continue to use helicopters and boats to reach the remote area, which started burning on June 28. 

An evening lightning storm ignited a new fire in the same grassy area on June 30, directly southwest of the Pool 08 Fire. The new fire is on the edge the refuge edge bordering private property.   Named the Unit 708 Fire, it quickly grew to 300 acres

Firefighters are working to contain both fires as thunderstorms are predicted to move through the area, bringing with them erratic winds.

The refuge has been closed to the public use since 2005 due to damage from Hurricane Rita.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages public land in every U.S. state and territory, including 547 national wildlife refuges and 69 national fish hatcheries.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 75 million burnable acres, including 24 million acres of forest/brushland and 4 million acres of grassland.

More than 50% of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands in the continental U.S. (and more than 90% in Alaska) include fire-adapted ecosystems with vegetation dependent on periodic fire.

An average of 500 wildfires burn 260,000 acres each year on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands. The Service also burns about 300,000 acres a year using prescribed fire.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annual fire program budget is approximately $80 million.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employs more than 530 permanent fire professionals, along with 270 seasonal and temporary fire employees during fire season.

More than 3,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees are qualified to assist with wildland fire management on an interagency basis.

The U.S. Fish and Wildland Service Fire Management Program protects more than 700 communities and wildland-urban interface areas.

Historically, an acre was the amount of land tillable by one man behind an ox in one day. This measures 90% of a football field. There are 640 acres in a square mile.

More than 90% of the hazardous fuels reduction by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is completed using prescribed fire.