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!

SHEN Fire Update and a Look Back at Two GWNF Fires

(Photo is of the Burners Gap Fire in Fall 2010) After the precipitation Sunday night/Monday morning, the fire up in Shenandoah National Park was easier to manage. According to the incident page, the fire was 50% controlled as of yesterday evening, allowing the crews on the Valley Complex Fire to reprioritize their efforts, while continuing some mop up activities. The link is here: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2150/ ; the weather also closed Skyline Drive for its length yesterday.


For the remainder of today’s post, I wanted to get back to the two GWNF fires from last fall, a topic I had started last week after walking through the aftermath of the Kennedy Peak fire on the way to that summit.

The first one to recall was called the Lokey Hollow fire, as I was driving to the Park’s Elkton entrance one morning for a hike I saw it smoking away over to the west. It was around Newport and I was worried that it might be close to the area where the old furnace is, so I drove back in as far as I could to check it out. The original post is at http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2010/10/fire-on-massanutten-mountain.html  - and I put up a couple of updates along the way during the month of November.

As the map shows, this fire expanded to about 600 acres, which means it was only a third the size of the Lands Run fire in the Park. The terrain is more difficult back there and that may have helped not only to control it but also slow the burn…just a hypothesis on my part. However, the fire took a long time to burn itself out, and about a week after it started the firefighters went back in to do a controlled burn to take away fuel for it. That step was the final thing they needed to put that one out.

The final fire I have info about is the Burners Gap Fire, which also happened in November. I remember this one well, it appears to be the one that I saw from Stoneyman in this post http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2010/11/gwnfmassanutten-fire-view-from-stonyman.html  - pretty dramatic, rising up the mountain there behind the Wal-Mart.

Again, this fire consumed similar acreage to the Lokey Hollow Fire. I assume that the fire was a bit more accessible, it appears to be so on the map we have, however, it did expand up and over the ridge down into Duncan Hollow.

It will be interesting to keep an eye on this subject for the next year. Mainly I’d like to know if it is just a coincidence that the fires I learned about occurred on the eastern slopes of Massanutten and the western slopes of the Blue Ridge – is that simply because of our vantage point in Page Valley, or are there forces of nature, like winds or sunshine, that make these slopes more susceptible.

A final note to close the post, thanking Dan over at NPS for sharing the maps. These were pretty insightful; it was very interesting to have a look back at them.

I’m hoping to hear the good news that the Valley Complex Fire is out and the incident ended soon, that will be my next and final post on that topic.

GWNF/Massanutten Fire - View from Stonyman

On Saturday afternoon I took a late drive up to the Park with the plan to take the short hike on Stonyman Mountain.

I've written about this pleasant hike a few times before; with the beautiful fall day we were having I expected crowds and my expectations were met.

However, there are still a couple of spots up there I know about that don't get so much foot traffic, including this one - the outcropping to the right is one that most people visit, I head on over to this one.

In the distance, you can see the fire that has been burning for about a week on Massanutten.  This fire is in the vicinity of Duncan Knob, and reports currently are describing the location as Duncan Hollow - but it definitely affects and threatens parts of Luray.

The paper says it appears to have started near one of the trails there, and that it is likely accidental.  But it has covered a couple of hundred acres already.

By Sunday, it seems to have burned down to a more manageable fire than it appeared in these last two posts, basically smoldering away.  I'll keep an eye out for news over the next few days.

GWNF/Massanutten Fire - Update 11-19

I've gotten into town early today and as I crested Thornton Gap coming over the Blue Ridge I immediately saw that our fire is still going on over on Massanutten Mountain.  As I understand it, it smoldered after the rains this week, but never really went out.  While I don't have confirmation yet, it is likely a back fire was lit to burn some of the fuel to help accelerate it's going out.

Looks to be a couple of hundred acres now.  Still high up on the mountain, but since it is hanging there right above town obviously a lot of people are watching it.

I'll post a new status on this one Sunday night - we'll see what happens with it over the weekend.

Thanks to Gary, Linda, Howard and Andy at Appalachian Outdoors Adventures for the wireless hookup today!  (...and the background music is MacArthur Park...excellent!)

Massanutten/GWNF Fire Update - 11/17

A quick note, over on WHSV, the lunch time update has a short report on the two fires we've been following on the blog.  Both are on Massanutten Mountain, north of the US 211 gap.

Apparently overnight rains helped to control the fire, WHSV even goes as far as to say they are out.  However, 40 firefighters remain standing by - the high winds that have followed overnight rains could cause a flare up.

That report is at 3:20 in the 11-17 video update, if you are interested.

GWNF/Massanutten Fires - Update 11/16

This morning, WHSV is reporting that the two wildfires I posted on last night have grown to 100 and 400 acres, respectively.  Here is a link to the article that is up on their website this morning:
http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Two_Wildfires_in_Page_County_Continue_to_Burn_108323024.html

The article reports that a helicopter is still being used to fight the fires.  In one case, the location sounds close to town, they provide the Caverns Club golf course as a point of reference, so plenty of reason to keep an eye on it!

Also, there was a smaller brush fire in Stanley yesterday, but our local firefighters were able to take care of that one quickly.  It's also reported on the WHSV site.

Gwnf/Massanutten FIres - this time to the North

Thanks to alert reader Marjie for the comment about new fires Page County residents are seeing on Massanutten Mountain.  She told me that one of them was near the US 211 gap, and that one is in addition to the one Mary and I saw yesterday afternoon north of Kennedy Peak.

So far the only "official" news I have is from WHSV morning news today. If you head to their site and get the 11/15 morning rush news, speed ahead to about 3:26 and there is a report on both fires.

For the first, they reported about 1 acre burning on Page Valley Road, but did not give a status.

The second was reported as starting about 12:30 Sunday.  While no status was given on whether it was under control this morning, helicopters and fire fighters had been called in to fight it.

More to follow...thanks everyone for tips on this!

Change o' Season

We are about two months into the fall season at this point, and I'd say our leaf canopy is about 75 to 80 percent down.  There are still rustling oaks out in the front yard, and there are even some bright golden patches left on the nut trees that are deeper back in the woods.  One highlight of this time of year are these shrubs, which are the last to change - they really put on a show for us.

One thing that we look forward to every year, as we get to this stage of autumn, is the opening of our sight lines into the hollow across the way.  We can see and hear a stretch of Beaver Run and it will stay that way now until spring.  Off in the distance is Tanners Ridge.  (This where we had the beaver pond a couple of years ago, if you're interested, just click on the label to read more about that...)

From the brick terrace, I can hear and sometimes see the small herd we have crossing through the hollow, uphill from the stream.  They probably come back down to the stream about a half mile away, deeper in the woods.  They are shy this time of year, and the reports that echo through the hills tell you why - it's hunting season now through the end of the month.

Just about time to have the yard cleaned up.  We are working on getting an appointment for this - probably the week after Thanksgiving, to give the rest of the leaves time to drop.

On a final note, as Mary and I were driving into Luray for some errands Sunday, I saw a wisp of smoke on Massanutten a mile or two north of Kennedy Peak.  This would be between 12 and 15 miles north of Lokey Hollow, the fire I was posting on a few weeks back.  I'll track this one and put some posts up as I find news - it didn't look very big just yet, as we were seeing it in the early afternoon.

GWNF/Massanutten Fire - Final

Yesterday's Page News & Courier had a story on the fire I've been tracking for the last two weeks.  Along with an interview with the USFS Fire Zone Manager, the article, linked below, includes a little more detail about why this fire - officially known as the Lokey Hollow Fire - has been so difficult to put out. 

Apparently with the leaves still in the process of falling, this fire is constantly getting more fuel so that the hotspots can reignite.  While there has been some rain during the course of the fire, once the leaves fall, if there is a short dry spell, they can quickly get to the state where they will spark flames.  Another problem is smoldering tree stumps and trunks, which is still an active part of the fire long after it has been brought under control.

So PNC has it that the fire is 75% contained after burning approximately 600 acres.  Up to 50 firefighters, who came from as far away as California and Montana, were involved in fighting the blaze.  On Tuesday afternoon, PNC's press time, about 20 were still on the scene, mainly watching the roads which were used as fire breaks during this course of this one.

Unless this fire breaks out into something much larger, we'll call this the last post on it.  You can check out the previous Lokey Hollow posts by clicking the "GWNF Fires" label that follows this post.

Link to PNC article:  http://www.dailynews-record.com/pnc_details.php?AID=51928&CHID=42

GWNF/Massanutten Fire - Monday Update

By way of an update on the fire that started in GWNF last week, on Sunday Mary and I noticed that it was still smoldering, so we detoured off of US 340 to see if we could get a closer look. What we found was quite a bit more than smoldering!


It turns out, according to reports, that the firefighters have burned another 200 plus or minus acres to stop a blaze. There have been as many as 50 firefighters around, but they are beginning to wind down the operation.

Apparently, the rain last week didn’t put the fire out, but it did slow it down considerably. The firefighters want to fight fire with fire, burning up the fuel in front it, but the wet weather made that difficult until things dried out over the weekend.

It’s a small fire and there isn’t a lot of reporting on it – that’s keeping me from getting updates. But I will post what I get – and right now, the news is that the fire is petering out. We’ll see.

GWNF/Massanutten Fire Wednesday Update

I thought the weather change, with a soaking rain overnight, would bring some good news about the small forest fire we’ve been following on the blog the last few days, but there isn’t much in print or web reporting. However, the WHSV news report this morning had the following:


• Fire grew to 390 acres by last night
• 50 firefighters are involved
• Reporting the fire as 40% contained

I’ll keep an eye for more news. It has been damp and rainy all day, this should be good news as far as the little fire is concerned.

You can track the posts on this topic with the "GWNF Fires" label at the end of this post....

Update on the GWNF Fire on Massanutten Mountain

This morning, WHSV reports that the fire continued to grow yesterday, and now has affected 300 acres. The access road and some trails in GWNF are affected, but the good news is that the nearby historic furnace (photo) is not threatened.


Here's a link to WHSV's latest report, which includes a photo of the fire: http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Forest_Fire_Grows_to_300_Acres_in_Page_County_105744693.html

For ongoing Hawksbill Cabin posts about this fire, click the "GWNF Fires" label below.

I have been speculating about the cause of this fire for the last couple of days, given the terrain up there, and the state of the GWNF camping sites back in that hollow - it's like they've been homesteaded. Lee M., a friend from Luray, offers a possible explanation:

“Since it isn't huckleberry season {spring} it must be a {fall } buck flush out fire...This is the first time I can remember a fall fire that small. It happens all the time, in the spring, on the Blue Ridge. A mountain burned off to increase huckleberry production for pies and what not. They are the first to recover/return and a burn leads to more huckleberry money.”

I doubt the Forest Service would ever come to this conclusion, but it sounds like a good hypothesis to me!

And here's a link to a past blog post about the furnace:
http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2009/09/catherine-furnace-gwnf-point-of.html

A Fire on Massanutten Mountain

Just added:  For ongoing Hawksbill Cabin posts about this fire, click the "GWNF Fires" label below.




As I set out for Elkton and the SNP yesterday, as I turned onto US 340 South I noticed a fire on the mountains in the George Washington National Forest. I was concerned that it appeared to be near Catherine Furnace, one of the historic pig iron processing locations that dot Massanutten Mountain, so I detoured into Newport to see if I get could some better bearings.

From the two photos I’ve taken, it did appear to be fairly close to the furnace – maybe a couple of miles away or less. It looks to be back in the forest, on the second ridge to the west, and the furnace would be in the valley below.

This is the time for fires, and we’ve had a dry late summer and early fall. So to see a forest fire kindle up isn’t such a big surprise. I have a link to a WHSV report from Monday morning below, and will check in on this for the rest of the week.

http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Forest_Fire_100_Acres_and_Continuing_to_Grow_105650648.html

At the time of this reporting, it’s still a small fire at 100 acres. But given the location, at the top of the ridge, it is both hard to fight due to terrain and it is prominent – easily seen up and down the valley. A couple of fellow hikers in SNP also saw it and were photographing it from the south district of the Park.

The second photo was taken at the entry to Shenandoah Speedway along US 340.