WEST VIRGINIA LOOKOUTS
OLGA
McDowell County
April 18, 1986: "Mrs. Phyllis Collins has been in charge of the Olga Fire Tower for five years.
The fire season that began March 1 has been one of the worst on record in West Virginia. By midweek almost 80,000 acres had burned and damage estimates were put as high as $23 million. Mrs. Collins, who has no relief person, manned the tower for 85 hours during one recent seven-day stretch and has had only one day off since March 18. One afternoon she monitored 14 fires from her watch area.
The Department of Agriculture maintains the tower and the small cabin. Mrs. Collins is only officially on the payroll for six months a year that comprises the two fire seasons.
The 40-foot tower is on property owned by the Olga Coal Company. Indeed, mining is taking place directly below where Mrs. Collins keeps her binoculars. Sometimes an explosive charge is strong enough to rock the tower." (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
The fire season that began March 1 has been one of the worst on record in West Virginia. By midweek almost 80,000 acres had burned and damage estimates were put as high as $23 million. Mrs. Collins, who has no relief person, manned the tower for 85 hours during one recent seven-day stretch and has had only one day off since March 18. One afternoon she monitored 14 fires from her watch area.
The Department of Agriculture maintains the tower and the small cabin. Mrs. Collins is only officially on the payroll for six months a year that comprises the two fire seasons.
The 40-foot tower is on property owned by the Olga Coal Company. Indeed, mining is taking place directly below where Mrs. Collins keeps her binoculars. Sometimes an explosive charge is strong enough to rock the tower." (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)