The following is correspondence from Virginia Church of God State Administrative Bishop Mike Baker following a wildfire which threatened the state offices and campground in Roanoke:
On Sunday afternoon, February 10, winds in excess of 70 mph came through the Roanoke Valley downing trees and power lines. As a result of the extreme winds, a forest fire was set about 2-3 miles south of the campground. With the winds moving north, the fire quickly moved directly toward the state offices and grounds. Interstate 81 was closed for several miles directly in front of the grounds.
Upon arrival at the grounds from a church appointment about 4:30 p.m., I immediately reviewed the situation. Following consultation with Fire Department officials, we discovered the fire was heading rapidly toward the campground. I called all the staff back to the office to evacuate important documents as a step of prudence. Within a matter of about 1-2 hours the task was completed and law enforcement ordered an evacuation of all people from the campground. At 10:30 p.m. the fire was to the edge of the upper parking lot of the tabernacle and moving down the ridge to the tree line. I was the last to leave the grounds and the fire continued to rage under the influence of unbelievable strong winds.
During the night, the Roanoke County Fire Department did a fantastic job of building fire breaks around buildings and managing the fire. On Monday, our offices and grounds were not accessible with law enforcement guarding entrance. As a result, the offices were closed and we were unable to even access phones for a message. By Monday afternoon, the fire had moved down the ridge behind the offices and down to the Youth adn Christian education parsonage. Fire literally came within a few feet of most of our buildings.
I am thankful to the power of God to abate the fire enough that we had no damage to any buildings other than dealing with the smell of smoke. No one was injured and we were allowed to move back on the grounds after 5:00 p.m. on Monday.
It is now 9:43 am Tuesday morning and smoke can still be seen coming from the back side of the ridge and other areas south several miles. A helicopter is on our ball field for fire department observation. However, we are out of harms way!
Let me express first and foremost thanks to God for His preservation of our grounds. To God be the glory! Secondly, I want to say a big thanks to our staff for their quick responsiveness and professional manner in a crisis situation. Thirdly, words are absolutely inadequate to express appreciation to the Roanoke County Fire Department and local law enforcement for their full commitment to the situation.
As I review the past 36 hours, I am immensely moved by the visible hand of God. This morning, I can see that the fire stayed close to the ground never engaging the upper part of the trees even with powerful winds. With the coming of Spring rain, the charcoal will disappear and the fresh green growth will appear and paint a beautiful view of the mountain once again.
Lastly, thanks to everyone across Virginia for your thoughtful responses and your committed prayers! We will continue to move forward standing shoulder-to-shoulder.