SUFFOLK (AP) -- A fire that started two months ago in the Great Dismal Swamp is still smoldering.
Authorities say the fire is 100 percent contained, but that just means it's not spreading beyond a controlled perimeter. There are still hot spots inside that perimeter, and firefighters on Wednesday were moving pumps to directly target the remaining small pockets of smoldering ground fire.
The hot spots are on ridges no more than 8 inches higher than the surrounding flooded areas.
The fire began Aug. 4 and has scorched about 6,377 acres. That's about 6 percent of the refuge that straddles the border of Virginia and North Carolina.
Officials believe a lighting strike started the fire, which has been fueled by fallen timber and thick layers of peat.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
