A raging forest fire in the rugged, isolated mountains of the George Washington National Forest has been contained, helped by two days of rain that also caused firefighters to pull back until conditions improved. Rain-soaked rocks and leaves caused treacherous footing on the steep mountain slopes making it a dangerous situation for firefighters.
Located in western Augusta County with extremely limited road access, the Marble Valley fire, started by a lightning strike, has raced along ridge tops and consumed 175 acres of forest land. The remote location does not pose an immediate danger to homes but it is near an area used by campers and hikers.
Firefighters had been concerned about the fire burning deep into the forest floor, according to the Staunton News Leader:
“It gets down there in the duff (accumulated decayed plant matter) and the rain may not be enough to put it out,” said Elwood Burge, Forest Service District Ranger.
Federal forestry workers we spoke with Tuesday afternoon expressed optimism that the fire was under control, noting it was “down to a couple of small hot spots,” and said firefighters would continue to keep an eye on it from a distance. The hope, they said, was that rain in the local forecast for Thursday would further wet down the area, put out the remaining flames, and prevent the fire from spreading.
Before pulling back, about thirty U.S. Fire Service employees and volunteer firefighters from the Deerfield Volunteer Fire Department had been using bulldozers to contain the fire and a helicopter had been brought in to dump water on it.
That was not the only forest fire in the vicinity. A small fire was reported in the St. Mary’s Wilderness area south of Staunton, the scene of a large fire in 2008 that burned over a thousand acres. Five other fires were also reported in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
Extremely dry conditions in western Virginia were eased a bit over the weekend as rain moved into the area on Sunday and Monday. However, there were still warnings to those in the forests to be careful about burning during windy conditions, and stream beds remain dry in many mountain areas.
