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Strong winds spread Guinea Neck fire

More than 40 firefighters battled flames Friday night in separate areas of Guinea Neck that ended up burning more than 200 acres of marshland. The calls for the fires began coming in just after dark and firefighters remained on scene until the early morning hours on Saturday.

Robert Parlett, spokesperson for the Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, said the cause of the fires was not natural or related to the northeast storm that was bearing down on the area and is currently under investigation by the Gloucester Sheriff’s Office.

Strong, gusty winds Friday night made conditions difficult for firefighters to combat the fires, which started separately along Maundy’s Creek Road, Smiley Road and Jenkins Neck Road. “Obviously, these fires were not an act of nature or from the storm,” Parlett said. “They were an act of somebody causing mischief.”

He said the wind getting underneath the flames and the nighttime conditions made for a “spectacul...

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