1,000-acre fire rages in Shenandoah Valley

Driven by steady winds, a fire spread across 1,000 acres of isolated, steep, rocky terrain Wednesday in St. Mary’s Wilderness near Steeles Tavern as federal park officials and anxious residents looked on.
“I stayed up all night last night watching it,” said Lawrence Phillips, 62, who lives along Spy Creek Lane in a residential area near the blaze. “When there’s a fire nearby, you’re always worried.”
Tina Ramsey, 43, who lives near Phillips on Route 608, said that in the dark she could see high flames leaping above treetops on the ridge behind her house.
“It looked like lava coming out of a volcano,” she said.
Officials spent Wednesday sizing up the blaze and planning a strategy to stop it before it reaches area homes. The homes were in no immediate danger, officials said.
“Today we’ve been surveying to determine the best way to make a stand against this fire,” said Glen Stapleton, a staff officer at George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and the incident commander in charge of the joint response. That included the Virginia Department of Forestry, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, as well as the Raphine and Montebello fire departments and other area responders.
Seventy-six people were involved in the effort, Stapleton said. A helicopter, two bulldozers and a brush truck were on site.
The cause of the fire, first reported at 4 p.m. Tuesday, was still unknown.
“We’re assuming it’s human cause, because we can find no incident of lightning,” U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Annie Downing said.
The affected land in the George Washington National Forest surrounds Little Spy Mountain, about one-and-a-half miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway and east of Route 56. Stapleton said the rough terrain and lack of road or trail access makes firefighting efforts in the region “extremely dangerous.”
The Blue Ridge Parkway was closed from Route 56 to Love Gap because of heavy smoke, said Chris Rose, a spokesman for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
Plotting the safe zone
Using a helicopter and two ground crews to scout terrain, officials planned a perimeter — the Blue Ridge Parkway to the south, the St. Mary’s River to the north, dirt roads and trails to the west and natural drainages to the east — that they hope will halt the fire before it threatens private property.
Members of the Augusta Hot Shots, an elite wilderness firefighting team based in Augusta Springs, used hand tools and leaf-blowers to prepare a path for bulldozers on the wilderness area border near Spy Creek Lane.
“Protecting the structures is the first priority,” said Ted Docev, assistant superintendent of the Augusta Hot Shots.
By early Thursday, he said, the team will progress farther into the wilderness area backcountry, where bulldozers and other mechanized devices generally are not allowed because of environmental regulations. Stapleton said an exception would be made for leaf blowers and, if necessary, water pumps.
‘Not going to stop’
Meanwhile, officials are waiting for reinforcements and proceeding carefully.
“I think tomorrow will probably be the big day, when they get their resources and their plan together,” Rose said.
Regardless, the fire is likely to continue burning until the weekend unless heavy rains arrive unexpectedly.
“It’s not going to stop on its own,” Downing said.