SUFFOLK -- Weekend showers have dampened the Great Dismal Swamp fire -- but haven't put it out.

Between 2 and 3 inches of rain fell over the weekend, which helped suppress the fire for the short term. It's a matter of time before the swamp dries out again and the fire's intensity increases, fire officials said.

The fire, which has been spewing smoke since it broke out June 9, has charred 4,629 acres. It grew about 300 acres from last week. That's partly because it's creeping northward, and firefighters are scrambling to build a containment line around it.

Also, the fire has spread to unscorched areas within the fire perimeter. Firefighters tried to light backfires, which would consume the fire's fuel, along the western fringe, but the fire didn't spread far eastward because the swamp was too wet, leaving a giant swath of unburned forest in the middle of the fire, public information officer Annaleasa Winter said.

Now, that swampy area is drying out and catching fire.

Heavy damp air is trapping smoke close to the ground, fire officials said. A mixture of smoke and fog could cause visibility issues in the evenings and mornings.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.