Orange County Lends Aid to Firefighting Efforts in Neighboring Madison County
By: Orange County Communications Department; Background Photo from Virginia Department of Forestry Facebook Page
In the evening hours of Tuesday, October 24, a wildfire began in Madison County near Quaker Run Road. Quick responses came from local firefighting agencies and the Virginia Department of Forestry as the blaze continued to grow steadily over the next couple of weeks. Exceedingly dry and windy conditions aided the fire, burning an area of nearly 4,000 acres (at the time of publication), which extended into Shenandoah National Park. As a result, Madison County declared
Drone images of the Quaker Run fire. This technology allows firefighters to more accurately visualize the spread of a fire.
a local state of emergency which was followed up by the Governor ’ s declaration on November 7. As support came from across the Commonwealth and beyond, Orange County was glad to be in a position to assist our neighbor in several ways.
County of Orange Fire & EMS (COFEMS) was quick to respond with drone support to help responders visualize and attack the blaze during its initial growth. COFEMS ’ drone program has proven itself extremely valuable since its beginnings in 2021.
Additional technological aid came in the form of our Information Technology Department ’ s mobile pods. These devices act like a large - scale version of the mobile hotspot feature on a cell phone, by harnessing satellite internet and providing it as Wi - Fi over a wide area. Deploying these pods provided critical communications infrastructure, in an area that often lacked viable cellular coverage, to support response efforts. A deployable mobile data pod provides critical internet and communication access.
The Orange County Airport provided support as well, as host for several wildfire - fighting aircraft, including an A Star B3E operated by Heliqwest Aviation and a K - Max operated by North American Helicopter, which flew in from Denver, CO, and St. Louis, MO, respectively. These aircraft provided aerial reconnaissance of the fire ’ s progression as well as direct suppression of the flames through the use of “ Bambi Buckets ” that could drop up to 660 gallons of water. The airport ’ s convenient location and high - quality facilities made it an ideal location from which these
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