Pile burning will continue this week near the Fair Subdivision, east of Tabernash, along Water Board Rd (FSR 128). See map 

Pile burning is continuing on the Superior Ranger District 8 miles southeast Superior in the Eddy Creek drainage. Smoke may be visible from the Superior and Interstate 90. 

Burning piles reduces hazardous fuels and contributes to the implementation of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

Current Burn Map 

Matts Creek Fire Update

Monday, November 27, 2023

Hours: 8 am-8 pm Phone: (504) 313-4859   Email: 2023.MattsCreek@firenet.gov 
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/vavaf-matts-creek-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GWJNF

Acres: 11,020

Start Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023

Cause: undetermined

Containment: 95%

Personnel:  82

Location: James River Face Wilderness and Blue Ridge Parkway 

Fuels: Mixed hardwoods, shrubby vegetation, and leaf litter

No hotspots were located yesterday on the perimeter of the Matts Creek Fire. Some burned weakened trees near the fire’s edge were felled, even as muddy spots on unpaved roads impacted travel by fire engines. Only minimal smoke was observed in the fire’s interior. The aerial drone was released yesterday, along with two engine crews. Fireline repair will continue today with all roads and trails remaining closed to the public. 

The fire is expected to be fully contained by dark today, with repair work left to do in burned areas deepest in the James River Face Wilderness on steep sections of the Appalachian and Sulphur Springs trails. The Type 3 Incident Command Team has ordered an infrared flight tonight to map any remaining heat. Command of the fire will for tomorrow’s shift to a smaller Type 4 organization. 

The two crews remaining on the fire are nationally available to work fires in any state, anytime of year, which sometimes results in long stretches of time away from home and family. 

“It’s the nature of emergency services work” said Matt Dougherty, crew boss for the Grayback Forestry initial attack crew based in Missoula, Montana. “I’ve only been home a total of 20 days this year and my Thanksgiving turkey is still frozen.”

“If there’s fire burning, we work,” added Isain Garcia, crew boss for the Cobra 4 hand crew from Sequoia National Forest in Porterville, California. The longest Garcia has been home this fire season is a week at a time. “If we’re lucky and no fire is burning over Christmas, we get to be home with our families.” 

Weather and Fire Behavior: Drier and much cooler conditions will extend over the next two days. A dry cold front is passing over the area, with cold westerly winds of 10 mph with gusts 20-30 mph. Higher sustained westerly winds will extend into tomorrow with possible gusts up to 40 mph. No fire spread is expected.

Operations: Crews will continue spreading grass seed and repairing dozer line, with all repair on the fire's perimeter to be completed today. Repair to trails on the interior of the burned area will continue. Fire personnel today include 2 hand crews, 3 resource advisors, 1 dozer, 1 ambulance, 1 field medic, and 1 safety officer.

Smoke and Air Quality: Air quality reports can be found at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. For more information, visit AirNow.gov.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: None. 

Road Closures: Petites Gap Road (FSR35) remains closed to all public use between the local spring and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is now open along the fire perimeter (from milepost 66.3, near US Highway 501, to milepost 85.9, at VA Route 43). 

Closures:  The James River Face Wilderness and all associated trails, including a section of Appalachian National Scenic Trail, are closed to all public use due to remaining hazards and fire suppression repair. 

The following areas are temporarily closed to allow for public and fire fighter safety:

• Locher Tract
• Glenwood Horse Trail (FT#3004) from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Hellgate Trailhead
• Appalachian Trail (FT #1) from James River Foot Bridge to Petites Gap Road (FR #35)
• Matts Creek Trail (FT #4/Old A.T.)
• Piney Ridge Trail (FT #2)      
• Gunther Ridge Trail (FT #8)
• Belfast Trail (FT #9) 
• Sulphur Springs Trail (FT# 3001)

Use caution and obey all road signs for your safety. Motorists should be alert for firefighter vehicles. 

Fire Restrictions: 

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in effect:  For the protection of public health and safety, the following acts are prohibited on all lands administered by George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. 

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation sites. 

2. Possessing, discharging, or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device. 

Campfires in a Forest Service provided metal fire pit, ring or grill at a developed recreation site are allowed.

Matts Creek Fire Update

Monday, November 27, 2023

Hours: 8 am-8 pm Phone: (504) 313-4859   Email: 2023.MattsCreek@firenet.gov 
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/vavaf-matts-creek-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GWJNF

Acres: 11,020

Start Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023

Cause: undetermined

Containment: 95%

Personnel:  82

Location: James River Face Wilderness and Blue Ridge Parkway 

Fuels: Mixed hardwoods, shrubby vegetation, and leaf litter

No hotspots were located yesterday on the perimeter of the Matts Creek Fire. Some burned weakened trees near the fire’s edge were felled, even as muddy spots on unpaved roads impacted travel by fire engines. Only minimal smoke was observed in the fire’s interior. The aerial drone was released yesterday, along with two engine crews. Fireline repair will continue today with all roads and trails remaining closed to the public. 

The fire is expected to be fully contained by dark today, with repair work left to do in burned areas deepest in the James River Face Wilderness on steep sections of the Appalachian and Sulphur Springs trails. The Type 3 Incident Command Team has ordered an infrared flight tonight to map any remaining heat. Command of the fire will for tomorrow’s shift to a smaller Type 4 organization. 

The two crews remaining on the fire are nationally available to work fires in any state, anytime of year, which sometimes results in long stretches of time away from home and family. 

“It’s the nature of emergency services work” said Matt Dougherty, crew boss for the Grayback Forestry initial attack crew based in Missoula, Montana. “I’ve only been home a total of 20 days this year and my Thanksgiving turkey is still frozen.”

“If there’s fire burning, we work,” added Isain Garcia, crew boss for the Cobra 4 hand crew from Sequoia National Forest in Porterville, California. The longest Garcia has been home this fire season is a week at a time.

“If we’re lucky and no fire is burning over Christmas, we get to be home with our families.” 

Weather and Fire Behavior: Drier and much cooler conditions will extend over the next two days. A dry cold front is passing over the area, with cold westerly winds of 10 mph with gusts 20-30 mph. Higher sustained westerly winds will extend into tomorrow with possible gusts up to 40 mph. No fire spread is expected.

Operations: Crews will continue spreading grass seed and repairing dozer line, with all repair on the fire's perimeter to be completed today. Repair to trails on the interior of the burned area will continue. Fire personnel today include 2 hand crews, 3 resource advisors, 1 dozer, 1 ambulance, 1 field medic, and 1 safety officer.

Smoke and Air Quality: Air quality reports can be found at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. For more information, visit AirNow.gov.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: None. 

Road Closures: Petites Gap Road (FSR35) remains closed to all public use between the local spring and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is now open along the fire perimeter (from milepost 66.3, near US Highway 501, to milepost 85.9, at VA Route 43). 

Closures:  The James River Face Wilderness and all associated trails, including a section of Appalachian National Scenic Trail, are closed to all public use due to remaining hazards and fire suppression repair. 

The following areas are temporarily closed to allow for public and fire fighter safety:

• Locher Tract
• Glenwood Horse Trail (FT#3004) from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Hellgate Trailhead
• Appalachian Trail (FT #1) from James River Foot Bridge to Petites Gap Road (FR #35)
• Matts Creek Trail (FT #4/Old A.T.)
• Piney Ridge Trail (FT #2)      
• Gunther Ridge Trail (FT #8)
• Belfast Trail (FT #9) 
• Sulphur Springs Trail (FT# 3001)

Use caution and obey all road signs for your safety. Motorists should be alert for firefighter vehicles. 

Fire Restrictions: 

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in effect:  For the protection of public health and safety, the following acts are prohibited on all lands administered by George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. 

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation sites. 

2. Possessing, discharging, or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device. 

Campfires in a Forest Service provided metal fire pit, ring or grill at a developed recreation site are allowed.

Pending conditions, pile burning efforts will continue today to reduce hazardous fuels from previous vegetation management operations. 

Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District:  The Plains/Thompson Falls District plans to pile burn in the Prospect Creek drainage located 5 miles southeast of Thompson Falls.  Smoke may be visible from Thompson Falls. 

Superior Ranger District: Firefighters will initiate up to 10 acres of pile burning operations located 9 miles southeast of Superior in the Eddy Creek drainage.  Smoke may be visible from Superior. 

Current Burn Map 

                                     Matts Creek Fire Update

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Hours: 8 am-8 pm Phone: (504) 313-4859   Email: 2023.MattsCreek@firenet.gov 
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/vavaf-matts-creek-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GWJNF

Acres: 11,020

Start Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023

Cause: undetermined

Containment: 93%

Personnel: 108

Location: James River Face Wilderness and Blue Ridge Parkway 

Fuels: Mixed hardwoods, shrubby vegetation, and leaf litter

Fire crews located and extinguished one hotspot yesterday near the fire line on the northwest perimeter. Patrols along the Blue Ridge Parkway found no remaining heat or hazards, and there was no heat detected on the fire’s interior. The aerial drone will conduct its final infrared mission this morning. Despite high winds forecast for tonight and tomorrow, there is no projected risk of fire spread and full containment is expected by Tuesday. 

Damage assessments within the interior of the burned area continue to identify hazards, including weakened trees, burned roots and stump holes which impact trail safety. Repair work will continue today, with all roads and trails remaining closed to the public today and tomorrow. Forest resource advisors are on-site with firefighters again today, as they take steps to reduce fire impacts and prevent trail erosion by using techniques that minimize impact to wilderness. 

High winds projected overnight Sunday and Monday will cause fire-weakened trees in the burned area to fall naturally during the coming days, and wind chill will impact firefighters starting Monday. To date, there have been no serious injuries or accidents on the incident. 

“Although we’ve discovered a bit more work on the interior than we expected, the dry weather is helping us make good, safe progress on the repairs,” said Incident Commander Frank Guzman. “We will do our very best in the current weather conditions to leave the fire line and impacted trails in good shape.” 

Although conditions were still too muddy for use of a dozer yesterday, crews used hand tools to repair some of the dozer line along the east side of the fire. The dozer will likely resume operation tomorrow to complete any remaining repairs.Today, crews will also begin hand-spreading a grass-seed mixture to facilitate regrowth of vegetation on parts of the fire line, which was dug down to mineral soil. 

Weather and Fire Behavior: Drier and much cooler conditions will extend over the next several days. Although winds will remain light today (under 10 mph out of the east), a dry cold front will pass over the area tonight and Monday, with sustained high winds ahead of the front shifting to out of the west-northwest 15-20 mph, with gusts 25-30 mph. No fire spread or additional fire activity is expected.

Operations: As part of fire line repair, crews will begin spreading grass seed and lime over a 6-mile stretch of dozer line along the Glenwood Horse Trail and north along Big Hellgate Lane to the fire’s northernmost point across from Glasgow on the James River. In addition, seeding will begin today on parts of 2-3 miles of hand line and dozer line on the east perimeter from the James River Foot bridge south to the Blue Ridge Parkway at Falling Rock Trail. Crews will also be hiking further into the burned area to repair trail damage. 

Fire personnel and equipment in the field today include 2 hand crews, 2 engine crews, 3 resource advisors, 1 aerial drone and pilot, 1 ambulance, 1 emergency field medic, 1 Safety Officer and fire line supervisors.

Smoke and Air Quality: Air quality reports can be found at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. For more information, visit AirNow.gov.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: None. 

Road Closures: Petites Gap Road (FSR35) remains closed to all public use between the local spring and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is now open along the fire perimeter (from milepost 66.3, near US Highway 501, to milepost 85.9, at VA Route 43). 

Closures:  The James River Face Wilderness and all associated trails, including a section of Appalachian National Scenic Trail, are closed to all public use due to remaining hazards and fire suppression repair.  

The following areas are temporarily closed to allow for public and fire fighter safety:

• Locher Tract
• Glenwood Horse Trail (FT#3004) from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Hellgate Trailhead
• Appalachian Trail (FT #1) from James River Foot Bridge to Petites Gap Road (FR #35)
• James River Foot Bridge Parking Lot
• Matts Creek Trail (FT #4/Old A.T.)
• Piney Ridge Trail (FT #2)      
• Gunther Ridge Trail (FT #8)
• Belfast Trail (FT #9) 
• Sulphur Springs Trail (FT# 3001)

Use caution and obey all road signs for your safety. Motorists should be alert for firefighter vehicles.

Fire Restrictions:  

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in effect:  For the protection of public health and safety, the following acts are prohibited on all lands administered by George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. 

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation sites. 

2. Possessing, discharging, or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device. 

Campfires in a Forest Service provided metal fire pit, ring or grill at a developed recreation site are allowed.

Acres: 11,020

Containment: 91% 

Cause: undetermined

Start Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023

Location: James River Face Wilderness and Blue Ridge Parkway 

Fuels: Mixed hardwoods, shrubby vegetation, and leaf litter

A Type 3 Incident Management Team assumed command of the Matts Creek Fire yesterday. Fire Management Officer Brent Foltz is effectively leading the work the fire suppression and repair as an Incident Commander trainee, under the mentorship of Incident Commander Frank Guzman.

With the help of an aerial drone and pilot, fire crews found and extinguished several remaining hotspots yesterday. Firefighters continue to patrol and repair fire line around the area’s perimeter, including the Blue Ridge Parkway, which remains open. Wet, muddy conditions yesterday prevented use of heavy equipment to repair line outside of the wilderness.

The entire fire area, including all road and trails, remains hazardous and closed to the public during the fire suppression repair phase. Firefighters made progress removing hazards, including burned trees and stump holes, which are impeding safe use of trails through the burned area. Crews are working throughout the weekend, ahead of predicted high winds late Sunday, which will create additional blow-down of fire-weakened trees. 

“We are still moving around the fire and have several days of work ahead of us to assess and remove hazards in the fire area,” said Incident Commander Guzman. “Thank you to the public for staying heads up on the roads and staying off trails as we work to make the area safe for reentry.”

Forest resource advisors are on-site with firefighters again today, as they reduce hazardous conditions and prevent erosion along more than 35 miles of trails by using techniques that minimize impact to wilderness. Crews will begin hand-spreading seed on some burned area to facilitate regrowth of vegetation.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Drier and much cooler conditions will extend over the next several days. Winds will remain light through Sunday, with gustier winds overnight Sunday and into the day Monday as a dry cold front moves through the area. As wet conditions dry out, smoldering will continue in leaf litter and snags, with no fire spread. Afternoon humidity will be 50-60%.

Operations: The aerial drone and certified pilot are working again today to search for any remaining heat, as handcrews focus on clearing roads and trails, and repairing fire-damaged areas. Engines continue to patrol the fire perimeter and assist with fireline repair. Fire personnel and equipment on the ground today includes 3 hand crews, 4 engines, 1 dozer, and 1 ambulance, along with a Safety Officer, fireline supervisors, and a field medic.

Smoke and Air Quality: Air quality reports can be found at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. For more information, visit AirNow.gov.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: None. 

Road Closures: Petites Gap Road (FSR35) remains closed to all public use between the local spring and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is now open along the fire perimeter (from milepost 66.3, near US Highway 501, to milepost 85.9, at VA Route 43). 

Closures:  The James River Face Wilderness and all associated trails, including a section of Appalachian National Scenic Trail, are closed to all public use due to remaining hazards and fire suppression repair. 

The following areas are temporarily closed to allow for public and fire fighter safety:

• Locher Tract
• Glenwood Horse Trail (FT#3004) from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Hellgate Trailhead
• Appalachian Trail (FT #1) from James River Foot Bridge to Petites Gap Road (FR #35)
• James River Foot Bridge Parking Lot
• Matts Creek Trail (FT #4/Old A.T.)
• Piney Ridge Trail (FT #2)      
• Gunther Ridge Trail (FT #8)
• Belfast Trail (FT #9) 
• Sulphur Springs Trail (FT# 3001)

Use caution and obey all road signs for your safety. Motorists should be alert for firefighter vehicles. 

Fire Restrictions: 

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in effect:  For the protection of public health and safety, the following acts are prohibited on all lands administered by George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. 

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation sites. 

2. Possessing, discharging, or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device. 

Campfires in a Forest Service provided metal fire pit, ring or grill at a developed recreation site are allowed.

Acres: 11,020

Containment: 88% 

Total personnel: 249

Cause: undetermined

Start Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023

Location: James River Face Wilderness and Blue Ridge Parkway 

Fuels: Mixed hardwoods, shrubby vegetation, and leaf litter

Fire crews made continued progress yesterday to detect and eliminate hot spots, increase security of containment lines, and repair impacts to roads and trails. An infrared flight overnight showed that the immediate perimeter of the fire is cool, while heat remains on the interior. With yesterday's work completed, firefighters and support personnel enjoyed a well-deserved Thanksgiving dinner last night at the Incident Command Post.

Work also began yesterday with Forest resource advisors to repair areas impacted by initial attack efforts along the Appalachian Trail, close to where the fire started. With fire crews and heavy equipment still at work today, and hazard trees remaining across the fire area, all roads and trails within the burned area remain closed until public entry is determined to be safe. 

Cloud cover, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity will facilitate progress on mop-up and suppression repair today. Based on the changing workload, some of the firefighters and many of the support personnel are being released. Command of the fire will be handed off at 6 p.m. to a local U.S. Forest Service Type 3 Incident Command Team, which will continue to keep the public informed of its progress. 

The Southern Area Red Team has been honored to serve the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests over the last week and a half, and is grateful to all the cooperators, partners and local community members who contributed to us safely accomplishing our mission. 

Weather and Fire Behavior: Temperature at the Incident Command Post this morning was 28 degrees, and temperatures in the fire area today will reach the low to mid 50s. Cloud cover remains across the fire area, with light northeast winds up to 7 mph after 10 a.m. Humidity will be 45 – 55%. Temperatures will cool further tomorrows with highs in the 40s. Smoldering continues in leaf litter and snags, with no fire spread.

Operations: The aerial drone and certified pilot will continue to support fire crews by searching for heat. A reduced number of crews will be moving and working across and around the fire, to further secure the burned area and work towards the Forest goal of safely reopening the wilderness for public use.

Fire personnel and equipment include 3 hand crews, 4 engines, 1 water tender, 2 ambulances and 1 drone.

Smoke and Air Quality: Air quality reports can be found at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. For more information, visit AirNow.gov.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: None. 

Road Closures: Petites Gap Road (FSR35) remains closed to all public use between the local spring and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is now open along the fire perimeter (from milepost 66.3, near US Highway 501, to milepost 85.9, at VA Route 43). 

Closures:  The James River Face Wilderness and all associated trails, including a section of Appalachian National Scenic Trail, are closed to all public use due to remaining hazards and fire suppression repair. The following areas are temporarily closed to allow for public and fire fighter safety:

• Locher Tract
• Glenwood Horse Trail (FT#3004) from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Hellgate Trailhead
• Appalachian Trail (FT #1) from James River Foot Bridge to Petites Gap Road (FR #35)
• James River Foot Bridge Parking Lot
• Matts Creek Trail (FT #4/Old A.T.)
• Piney Ridge Trail (FT #2)      
• Gunther Ridge Trail (FT #8)
• Belfast Trail (FT #9) 
• Sulphur Springs Trail (FT# 3001)

Use caution and obey all road signs for your safety. Motorists should be alert for firefighter vehicles. 

Fire Restrictions: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect. For the protection of public health and safety, the following acts are prohibited on all lands administered by George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. 

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation sites. 

2. Possessing, discharging, or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device. 

Campfires in a Forest Service provided metal fire pit, ring or grill at a developed recreation site are allowed.

Acres: 11,020

Containment: 84% 

Total personnel: 352

Cause: undetermined

Start Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023

Location: James River Face Wilderness and Blue Ridge Parkway 

Fuels: Mixed hardwoods, shrubby vegetation, and leaf litter

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

As fire personnel (from 38 states and the District of Columbia) continue to focus on cooling remaining hotspots and removing weakened trees on the Matts Creek Fire, the Southern Area Red Team is thankful to the local community for your tremendous support, for the heavy rain in recent days, and for no serious public or firefighter injuries or loss of homes. 

With clearer weather today, the fire team will continue to use techniques that minimize impact to the forest, protect water quality, and ensure public safety on forest roads and trails. While the Blue Ridge Parkway is now open, all roads and trails within the fire area remain closed.

Although smoke may be visible at times on high ridges and in valleys, especially as the fire area dries out, there is no expected risk of fire spread. Work continues today by ground crews and an aerial drone will be used today for reconnaissance. Firefighters will continue taking steps to cool smoldering areas, prevent soil erosion and repair areas used during firefighting back into as natural a condition as possible. 

Weather and Fire Behavior: Meteorologists checking rain gauges yesterday discovered that up to 5 inches had fallen Tuesday in multiple locations on the eastern side of the fire. A drying trend is expected over the next few days, with mostly sunny weather today and light northwest winds between 5 and 10 miles per hour. A shallow surface inversion this morning will lift, with temperatures in the low 50s and humidity 40 to 50%. Cloud cover will increase through the night, with patchy dense fog possible in the valleys where winds will be lighter. Temperatures will drop overnight to the mid 30s and humidity will increase to 70 to 80 percent by morning.

Operations: Yesterday, firefighters began assessment and repair of roads leading into the fire area, strengthening existing fire lines where needed, and felling fire-damaged trees along roads and trails. On the west edge of the fire near the horse trail, firefighters safely dropped a burned tree that was leaning downhill, to remove a risk to a residence below. Today, ground crews continue to mop up remaining hot spots on the eastern side of the fire. They will begin suppression repair along interior trails with special attention to the Appalachian Trail. Patrol of the Blue Ridge Parkway continues. The gate at Petite’s Gap remains closed, due to ongoing work and potential hazards, but the barricade has been relocated to provide residents access to a local spring. 

Fire personnel and equipment include 6 hand crews, 13 engines, 1 water tender, 2 ambulances and 1 drone.

Smoke and Air Quality: Air quality reports can be found at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. For more information, visit AirNow.gov.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: The Temporary Flight Restriction around the fire area has been lifted. 

Road Closures: Petites Gap Road (FSR35) remains closed to all public use above the local spring and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is now open along the fire perimeter (from milepost 66.3, near US Highway 501, to milepost 85.9, at VA Route 43). 

Closures:  The James River Face Wilderness and all associated trails, including a section of Appalachian National Scenic Trail, are closed to all public use due to remaining hazards and fire suppression repair. 

The following areas are temporarily closed to allow for public and fire fighter safety:

• Locher Tract
• Glenwood Horse Trail (FT#3004) from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Hellgate Trailhead
• Appalachian Trail (FT #1) from James River Foot Bridge to Petites Gap Road (FR #35)
• James River Foot Bridge Parking Lot
• Matts Creek Trail (FT #4/Old A.T.)
• Piney Ridge Trail (FT #2)      
• Gunther Ridge Trail (FT #8)
• Belfast Trail (FT #9) 
• Sulphur Springs Trail (FT# 3001)

Use caution and obey all road signs for your safety. Motorists should be alert for firefighter vehicles. 

Fire Restrictions: 

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in effect:  For the protection of public health and safety, the following acts are prohibited on all lands administered by George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. 

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation sites. 

2. Possessing, discharging, or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device. 

Campfires in a Forest Service provided metal fire pit, ring or grill at a developed recreation site are allowed.

Acres: 11,020

Containment: 57% 

Cause: undetermined

Total personnel: 346

Start Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023

Location: James River Face Wilderness and Blue Ridge Parkway 

Fuels: Mixed hardwoods, shrubby vegetation, and leaf litter

Note: The Blue Ridge Parkway along the fire (from milepost 66.3, near US Highway 501, to milepost 85.9 at VA Route 43) is now open. Due to yesterday’s downpour, rocks and other debris may roll into roads in and around the fire area. Please drive carefully in these areas, especially in areas of low visibility. If you see hazards on roadways, please report them to the VDOT Customer Service line at 800-367-7623.

Yesterday 3.5 inches of rain fell across the fire area. That much rain equates to 1.1 billion gallons of water, the equivalent of more than three million type 6 (wildland firefighting) engines! Firefighters had made good progress building containment lines around the fire and Mother Nature came to their aid for mop up to remove fire threat. 

Operations: 

Yesterday: Because the fire was not expected to spread yesterday with firelines in place and predicted rain, firefighters took a pause from field operations and worked at the incident command post, maintaining equipment and taking training. They conducted drills of medical emergency response procedures. 

Today: Firefighters will engage the fire as safety and road conditions allow today. They will continue to mop up and patrol firelines and begin repair of roads and areas affected by fire suppression. They will also identify and remove fire-weakened trees that may pose a hazard, especially with today’s gusty winds. Firefighters will pilot a drone over the fire area to assess the fire in steep areas and detect remaining heat. Due to the shift from fire suppression to fire repair, many firefighters will be released from the incident.

Personnel and equipment on the fire include 6 hand crews, 1 camp crew, 11 engines, 2 ambulances, 1 water tender and 1 drone. 

Weather and Fire Behavior: Today will be cool and breezy, with high temperatures in the low 50s and west-northwest winds 15-20 mph. Gusts will be to 30 mph this afternoon. Relative humidity will be 60-70 percent. No active fire is expected today, but large logs may smolder.

Smoke and Air Quality: An incident air resource advisor issues smoke reports at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. Due to lack of fire behavior, this will be the last day an air resources advisor is assigned to the fire. For more information on air quality visit AirNow.gov. Please use caution when driving in low-visibility areas.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction remains in place around the fire area until this evening. Further information can be found at https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_3_4016.html

Road Closure: Petites Gap Road (FSR35) is closed to all public use between the Belfast Trailhead and the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

Closures:  The James River Face Wilderness and all associated trails, including a section of Appalachian National Scenic Trail, are closed to all public use due to firefighting and fire suppression repair activities. 

The following areas are temporarily closed to allow for public and fire fighter safety:

• Locher Tract
• Glenwood Horse Trail (FT#3004) from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Hellgate Trailhead
• Appalachian Trail (FT #1) from James River Foot Bridge to Petites Gap Road (FR #35)
• James River Foot Bridge Parking Lot
• Matts Creek Trail (FT #4/Old A.T.)
• Piney Ridge Trail (FT #2)      
• Gunther Ridge Trail (FT #8)
• Belfast Trail (FT #9) 
• Sulphur Springs Trail (FT# 3001)

Use caution and obey all road signs for your safety. Motorists should be alert for firefighter vehicles and smoke. 

Fire Restrictions: 

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in effect:  For the protection of public health and safety, the following acts are prohibited on all lands administered by George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. 

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation sites. 

2. Possessing, discharging, or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device. 

Campfires in a Forest Service provided metal fire pit, ring or grill at a developed recreation site are allowed.