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SALEM, Mo. – Rainfall November 3, 2011 is helping firefighters contain several suspected arson fires on Mark Twain National Forest lands near Salem, Missouri on Salem Ranger District.
About ½ inch of rain November 3, 2011 fell in the vicinity of the fires, increasing leaf fall. National Weather Service forecasts show a drying trend over the weekend.
“Heavy fuels can contribute to increased intensity and extreme fire behavior, especially on days like we experienced earlier this week,” said Mark Twain National Forest Salem District Ranger Thom Haines. “We’re carefully monitoring conditions to make sure wild fires stay in their containment areas.”
The largest wild fire, the Minninghaw Fire, estimated at 5,000 acres in size, started November 1, 2011. It is located in southern Dent County near the Shannon County line, approximately 7 miles west of Bunker, Missouri. It is burning in heavy fuels created by the May 2009 Derecho wind event.
As of 10:30 am Thursday, November 3, 2011, a fire line had been established around the entire fire perimeter.
Salem Ranger District had two other suspected arson wild fires on November 2, 2011; one wild fire was 5 acres, and a second wild fire approximately 310 acres in size. Both have containment lines established around them.
Two twenty-person hand crews, one from North Carolina and a second from Georgia, arrived November 3, 2011 and reported to Salem this morning. These resources will provide Mark Twain National Forest additional help and afford rotation of firefighters who have been fighting the wildfires since mid-afternoon Tuesday, November 1, 2011.
Currently, there are more than 50 firefighters, three bulldozers and four engines assigned to the wild fires.
No homes are immediately threatened.
Additional law enforcement personnel are assigned to patrol and investigate the wild fires.
“We really need the help of the public. If anyone has any information on who set these fires, please let us know,” Haines said.
To report information, contact Mark Twain National Forest Salem Ranger District Office at 573-729-6656 or the toll free arson hotline at 1-800-392-1111.
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