A brush fire spotted last Wednesday in northern Rockbridge County burned fewer than 10 acres and was quickly contained by local crews, according to fire officials.
Residents first reported the incident after seeing smoke from roadways near the 4900 block of Irish Creek Road. The fire occurred on private land, and no structures were threatened, said Deputy Chief Brad Zollman of Rockbridge Fire-Rescue.
Crews from South River Volunteer Fire Department and Buena Vista Fire Department established a fire line around the blaze and brought it under control. The Virginia Department of Forestry then took over the scene and worked with U.S. Forest Service crews to fully extinguish remaining hot spots.
Zollman said the fire is suspected to have been caused by improperly discarded smoking materials.
Residents in the northern part of the county may have also noticed smoke from another fire last week, a controlled burn in the St. Mary’s Wilderness Area.
