Neighbor Mountain Fire
Showing posts with label Neighbor Mountain Fire. Show all posts

Shenandoah Wildfire Doubles in Size

Thursday, July 5, 2012

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Two major wildfires in Northern Virginia continue to grow. However, major progress is being made to bring both fires under control. Here are the latest updates as of this morning:

The Neighbor Mountain Fire in Shenandoah National Park has doubled in size over the last three days, growing from 1125 acres to 2163 acres as of the latest update posted yesterday evening. The fire, however, is now 55% contained. The wildfire is burning in very steep and rocky terrain north of Route 211 and west of Skyline Drive. The forest involved is a mix of hardwoods, mountain laurel, blueberry and leaf litter. The number of personnel fighting the fire is now at 247 crew members. Further growth potential for the fire is rated as medium at this point. The following trails and facilities are still closed:

* Appalachian Trail between Elkwallow and Beahms Gap
* Jeremys Run Trail
* Neighbor Mountain Trail
* Knob Mountain Trail
* Knob Mountain Cutoff
* Jeremys Run Overlook
* Byrds Nest #4 shelter

Just north of Shenandoah is the Point 2 Wildland Fire, which has now grown to 1162 acres over the last couple of days. The fire is located on Massanutten Mountain between Veach Gap and Sherman Gap in the counties of Warren and Shenandoah, in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. The fire is is considered to be 80% contained, with 226 fire-fighting personnel on hand. InciWeb warns that there is medium growth potential due to heavy, dry fuels, the steep rugged terrain, difficult access and weather conditions. The following trails are still closed until further notice:

* Massanutten National Recreation Trail (#408) from Shawl Gap to Veach Gap
* Tuscarora Trail (#405.1) is closed from Shawl Gap to Panhandle Road (SR 613)
* Sherman Gap Trail (#403)
* Veach Gap Trail (#484)
* The Little Crease Trail Shelter is also closed

Both fires were caused by lightning during the June 25/26 storms.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Wildfires in Virginia Continue to Grow in Size

Monday, July 2, 2012

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Two major wildfires in Northern Virginia continue to grow. Here are the latest updates as of this morning:

The Neighbor Mountain Fire in Shenandoah National Park has grown to 1125 acres as of the latest update posted this morning. The fire, currently 20% contained, is burning in steep and rocky terrain north of Route 211 and west of Skyline Drive. The forest involved is a mix of hardwoods, mountain laurel, blueberry and leaf litter. The number of personnel fighting the fire has also grown to 237 crew members. However, only medium potential for growth is expected at this point. The following trails and facilities are still closed:

* Appalachian Trail between Elkwallow and Beahms Gap
* Jeremys Run Trail
* Neighbor Mountain Trail
* Knob Mountain Trail
* Knob Mountain Cutoff
* Jeremys Run Overlook
* Byrds Nest #4 shelter

Just north of Shenandoah is the Point 2 Wildland Fire, which has grown 890 acres over the last couple of days. The fire is located on Massanutten Mountain between Veach Gap and Sherman Gap in the counties of Warren and Shenandoah, in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. The fire is now 30% contained, with 218 fire-fighting personnel on hand. InciWeb warns that the fire poses a potential threat to homes and private land on the east and west sides of the fire. The following trails are still closed until further notice:

* Massanutten National Recreation Trail (#408) from Shawl Gap to Veach Gap
* Tuscarora Trail (#405.1) is closed from Shawl Gap to Panhandle Road (SR 613)
* Sherman Gap Trail (#403)
* Veach Gap Trail (#484)
* The Little Crease Trail Shelter is also closed

Both fires, by the way, were caused by lightning.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Update on Shenandoah National Park Fire

Saturday, June 30, 2012

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The Neighbor Mountain Fire in Shenandoah National Park has now grown to 827 acres as of the latest update this morning. The fire is burning in steep and rocky terrain, north of Route 211 and west of Skyline Drive. The forest involved is a mix of hardwoods, mountain laurel, blueberry and leaf litter. The number of firefighters and overhead staff assigned to the fire has also grown to 181 crew members. Heat and rough terrain are expected to slow suppression efforts over the next several days, while the estimated date for full containment is July 15th. The following trails and facilities are closed:

* Appalachian Trail between Elkwallow and Beahms Gap
* Jeremys Run Trail
* Neighbor Mountain Trail
* Knob Mountain Trail
* Knob Mountain Cutoff
* Jeremys Run Overlook
* Byrds Nest #4 shelter


Just north of Shenandoah is the Point 2 Wildland Fire, which has grown from 353 acres to 623 acres since yesterday. The fire is located on Massanutten Mountain between Veach Gap and Sherman Gap in the counties of Warren and Shenandoah, in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. The fire is still only 5% contained, but 163 fire-fighting personnel are now on hand. InciWeb warns that the fire poses a potential threat to homes and private land on the east and west sides of the fire. The following trails are closed until further notice:

* Massanutten National Recreation Trail (#408) from Shawl Gap to Veach Gap
* Tuscarora Trail (#405.1) is closed from Shawl Gap to Panhandle Road (SR 613)
* Sherman Gap Trail (#403)
* Veach Gap Trail (#484)
* The Little Crease Trail Shelter is also closed

Both fires, by the way, were caused by lightning.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Wildfires in Southern Appalachians Grow; More Trail Closures

Friday, June 29, 2012

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As of this morning there are now 47 uncontained large wildfires burning nationwide, up 6 from yesterday. Below is a run down of the three fires burning in the Southern Appalachians:

The Neighbor Mountain Fire in Shenandoah National Park has grown to 800 acres as of yesterday afternoon. The fire is burning north of Route 211 and west of Skyline Drive. Seventy-three firefighters and overhead staff are currently assigned. Heat and rough terrain are expected to slow suppression efforts over the next several days, while the estimated date for full containment is July 15th. The following trails and facilities are closed:

* Appalachian Trail between Elkwallow and Beahms Gap
* Jeremys Run Trail
* Neighbor Mountain Trail
* Knob Mountain Trail
* Knob Mountain Cutoff
* Jeremys Run Overlook
* Byrds Nest #4 shelter

Just north of Shenandoah is the Point 2 Wildland Fire, which has grown to 353 acres as of last night. The fire is located on Massanutten Mountain between Veach Gap and Sherman Gap in the counties of Warren and Shenandoah, in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. The fire is still only 5% contained, but 105 fire-fighting personnel are on hand. The following trails are closed until further notice:

* Massanutten National Recreation Trail (#408) from Shawl Gap to Veach Gap
* Tuscarora Trail (#405.1) is closed from Shawl Gap to Panhandle Road (SR 613)
* Sherman Gap Trail (#403)
* Veach Gap Trail (#484)
* The Little Crease Trail Shelter is also closed

US Forest Service officials in the Cherokee National Forest say a wildfire has burned nearly two hundred acres on the Ocoee Ranger District in Polk County since Monday. The fire is located off U.S. Highway 64 near Goforth Creek in steep rugged terrain. There are currently no threats to any structures.

Approximately 50 personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, Tennessee Division of Forestry, and various volunteer fire departments are working on containment lines. The extremely steep terrain combined with very hot and dry conditions is making firefighting efforts difficult.

Ocoee Acting District Ranger Andy Gaston said, “Motorist should exercise caution when traveling along Highway 64. Firefighting crews and equipment as well as smoke will be in the area and may cause traffic delays. In addition, the Goforth Creek parking area will be used for firefighting access and equipment parking and is closed to public use.”

Gaston also noted that, “There have been hot and dry conditions over the last few days and this pattern will continue into the weekend and the 4th of July week. National Forest visitors need to be very careful with fire and ensure that campfires are out and cold before leaving.”

Finally, the Iron Mountain multi-use trail, located adjacent to Cottonwood Patch campground in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, is temporarily closed on the Tennessee side due to fire activity. The trail will re-open once conditions are safe.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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