By Eric Rich and Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 17, 2006

An eight-alarm fire swept through close to 100 acres of thick woods in Anne Arundel County yesterday, presenting firefighters with the most challenging of several wind-whipped brush fires that took hold across the region yesterday.

More than 140 firefighters, including a recruit class, spent much of the day battling the blaze at the undeveloped Severn Run Natural Environmental Area in central Anne Arundel. Even at 6 p.m., nearly 10 hours after it was reported, the fire, though contained, continued to smolder, said Lt. Roy Phillips of the county fire department.

Montgomery County firefighters, meanwhile, battled a small brush fire in the Poolesville area. County firefighters have fought more than 150 such blazes in the past three weeks, an unusually high number, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the county's Fire and Rescue Service.

"Conditions are very favorable for brush fires," Piringer said. "It's dry, windy and there's low humidity."

The conditions prompted Montgomery's fire marshal to issue a voluntary ban this week on open burning and outdoor fires, and smokers were asked to use caution in discarding cigarette butts.

Brush fires have also kept Prince George's County firefighters busy in recent days, according to Mark Brady, a spokesman for the county fire department. On Wednesday alone, firefighters fought 50 brush fires, he said.

There have been almost 250 since mid-February, none of which resulted in serious injury or significant property damage, he said. "Some were caused by downed power lines; some were caused by carelessness," Brady said.

He said fire investigators expect April -- typically the peak season for brush fires in the region -- to be uncharacteristically slow. "We have a large group of firefighters eagerly awaiting the precipitation we've been promised," Brady said.

In Virginia, forestry officials reported that numerous wildfires were breaking out but were being contained to small areas. The exception was a fire in Pulaski County in southwestern Virginia.

Stoked by variable winds, the Anne Arundel fire spread unpredictably, adding to the challenge posed by its remoteness. Firefighters carried water to the blaze in bladder bags holding no more than three gallons.

One firefighter was treated for a breathing difficulty. The condition was not thought to be serious, Phillips said.