Closing out on the Valley Complex Fire

Our PN&C arrived yesterday, and among the news of interest is additional coverage of the fires around Virginia last weekend - especially of the one at the Hope Mills subdivision near Luray.  As Mary and I drive through Thornton Gap last Saturday afternoon, as the Valley came into view, we saw the cloud of smoke and haze from this fire.  (The photo source is from the Shenandoah 75th Anniversary page, it is the same one I put up earlier in the week).

The paper says this fire grew to more than 40 acres and involved as many as 30 area firefighters to bring this one under control.  Apparently there weren't injuries, but the fire risk, increased by the high winds threatened a number of homes.  None were damaged, but a garage and some vehicles were destroyed.

Besides the Valley Complex, which involved large fires in Shenandoah National Park and in the GWNF, there was also a fire near Linden, Virginia, on Blue Mountain.  This 75-acre fire destroyed a home and sent a number of people to shelters.  All in all the paper reports that there were at least 140 fires over the weekend, all fanned by the high winds.  There's a link to the PN&C article here:  http://www.dailynews-record.com/pnc_details.php?AID=54987&CHID=42 .

For the GWNF portion of the Valley Complex, link here:  http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2151 .
The last update on this fire, was yesterday afternoon, and it was shown as the final report.  The cause of the Coffman portion of the fire was a tree that fell on a power line, the other part's cause is unknown.  The incident report shows that more than 3,400 acres were involved, and nearly 70 firefighters we called to action.

For the Smith Run, or Lands Run, portion of the fire, up in Shenandoah National Park, the link is here:  http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2150 .  The web report hasn't been updated in 2 days - Dan mentioned that the map I posted the other day was likely the final update.  The cause of this fire is still unknown, and the extent of the fire is shown as 1,950 acres.  There are still a few reports coming in about the mop up actions over on the Facebook page for this one.

It's good to know that there were few injuries related to these fires, and as far as I can determine, no fatalities. 

It's also a good time to pause and say thanks to the firefighters and law enforcement folks who helped get these things under control - including the many volunteers that participate in these efforts.  Whether the incidents are more routine or part of a major outbreak like the one we had last week, their work is very important to the community.  Thanks again to all of you!