The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-05-01
DARE MAINLAND FOREST
FIRES BURN THOUSANDS
OF ACRES DURING WEEK
Pulp Company Lands Suffer Loss of Many
Years Growth of Timber in Area Between
Manns HarbOr and Stumpy Point, as Both
Villages Are Threatened with Destruction


won four-day battle to lick a
destructive forest fire which char
red more than 1900 acres of
growing pine stock owned by West
Virginia Pulp and Paper Company.
Company men and state forest
ers, who joined to battle on the of
ers, who Joined to battle one of the
largest forest fire in this area in
recent years, said the blaze was
virtually under control. Still smol-
lering is a small area south of
Manns Harbor, but unless high
winds arise the fire Fighters hope
to stamp out all remains of the
fire within a day or so.
The fire, which was discovered
about 8:l5 am. Sunday by Wilson
Ambrose, a Dare County smoke
chaser, began at a point where the
Point Peter Canal intersects High
way. 264 and swept almost the en-
tire area between the highway and
Croatan Sound, from just north OF
Stumpy Point to a short distance
below MAINS Harbor, before it was
brought under control.
Immediately upon discovery,
company crews and state foresters
We're alerted by the company's new
two-way. radio system and fire
tighting details and equipment
were rushed to the scene. The fire
was famed by strong gusts of
30 to 4O-mile velocity, however,
and in matter of hours had
swept in northeasterly direction
to the sound, leaving in its wake
mile and half strip of charred
trees.
Shifts in wind direction on Mon
day sent the fire heading in other
directions and at one point, on
Tuesday, fire crews were unable to
contain the blaze in the area be-
tween the highway and tn sound.
In flames leaped the highway and
canal about halfway between
Manns Harbor and Stumpy Point
and burned out some 60O acres of
company land on the east side of
the highway before it was quelled.
When fires in the north area
Were whipped by northwesterly
winds which threatened to again
carry the blaze into company lands
to the east and posed threat to
dwellings in the Manns Harbor
area the crews, who had worked
almost continuously without rest
since the outbreak, burned a con-
trolled lane around the entire
northerly tip of the fire area,
which finally contained the blaze.
William Ernst, Jr., manager of
the paper company's lands here,
said the loss suffered by the COM
pany and the community could not
be estimated.
"We lost $4,000 acres of grow
ing timber and seedlings which
cannot, of course, be replaced for
years to come" Ernst said. "In
dollars the loss was tremendous,
but in terms of progress to our
program to rebuild the forests of
this area, the loss was even great
err"
Ernst had high praise for the
crews who battled the fire without
rest and gave much of the credit
for suppressing the fire to District
Forester o. T. Wynne and his or
ganization, who fought the fire
with company crews and volun-
teers, including logging crews of
0. F. Gilbert's operation.
Thousands of acres of Dare
mainland forests and pocosins
were destroyed by fire during
the past weekend and the vii
lage of Stumpy Point seemed
threatened Monday morning.
Fire fighting equipment from
Manteo had been called to the
area.
The Roanoke Island-Nags
Head area was blanketed with
great pillows of smoke through
out Sunday and until the wind
shifted Sunday night from
southwest to northeast.
In addition to the property
losses running into thousands of
acres and dollars, the loss to
wildlife and in some areas val
liable timber losses has been
terrific, it was stated.
Fires earlier this month had
already destroyed hundreds of
acres in the area, but nothing
compared to the weekend blaze
which was still unchecked on
Monday.
The West Virginia Pulp and
Paper Company acquired more
than 10000 acres of Dare
mainland lands last year from
Fred NJ. Maloof who was once
described as the owner Of more
acreage than anyone east Of