VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A marsh fire along the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River on the night of July 4 left burned brush visible from nearby backyards and prompted help from both firefighters and a nearby restoration worker with a boat.
Neighbors near Carolanne Point Circle in Virginia Beach said they were grateful the Virginia Beach Fire Department and a few Good Samaritans were able to keep the fire from spreading into surrounding neighborhoods.
Kyle Young who lives out near Red Mill tells News 3 he received a message late Saturday night about a fire near his job site off Carolanne Point Circle. Since January, Young and others with the company have been working on restoration efforts along the Elizabeth River.
Concerned, Young said he drove across town to meet a coworker and found flames burning in the marsh, similar to what nearby residents were seeing from their homes.
“I’ve had some wild nights before, but that night was definitely top five,” Young said.
Young said the fire department was already on scene when he arrived, but because of the marshy terrain, firefighters could not reach every part of the fire from land. He offered to use his boat to help get first responders closer to the flames.
“I’ve got a 2-inch centrifugal pump that draws water out of the river, and we just spray out of the discharge,” Young said. “They reached as far as they could with the hose, and what they couldn’t reach, we got out. I got out with two other firefighters and stomped it out by foot.”
Young said he stayed with firefighters until after 2 a.m. to make sure the fire did not reignite.
He said the marsh had been especially dry in recent days because of the weather.
“Other than the tide coming up and down in the marsh, there’s been no rain in the past week or so over there, and with the hot temperatures, it’s been very dry,” Young said.
The charred brush is now visible from nearby homes. Some neighbors said fireworks were being set off from homes in the area that evening, though the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“Thanks to the Virginia Beach Fire Department for being there as quick as they could,” Young said. “Unfortunately, they couldn’t reach everything from land, so I’m glad we were there at the same time.”
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