CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – UPDATE: 10:15 a.m. 11/18: A wildfire continues to burn on Bear Den Mountain in Shenandoah National Park that continues to have the 25-miles of Skyline Drive and a similar area of the Appalachian Trail shut down.
Park Service’s Alyssah Fox told several media outlets Monday afternoon that fire was at 30-acres and 0% contained.
Cville Right Now has reached out for a Tuesday morning update and has not heard back yet.
Cville Right Now has since learned Bear Den is one of two fires in the same vicinity of Shenandoah National Park and Augusta County.
The Virginia Department of Forestry is on a smaller fire on adjacent Calf Mountain that began Sunday night and has been 100% contained at 3 acres.
They’ve speculated that fire started first and spark the Bear Den Mountain fire.
Firefighters at both fires await forecast rains overnight Tuesday into Wednesday that may either douse or significantly help contain the two blazes.
STORY:
A wildfire has closed a 25-mile stretch of Skyline Drive on Monday, according to the National Parks Service.
With the area under an elevated fire risk, Shenandoah National Park rangers reported Skyline Drive is closed from Rockfish Gap to Loft Mountain, mile marker 104.6 to 79.5, due to the blaze.
A portion of the Appalachian Trail is also closed between Rockfish Gap and Turk Gap parking area (mile 94.1).
SNP spokesperson Allysah Fox told Cville Right Now firefighters as of 10:45 a.m. were still trying to get to the scene to fully assess what they had but are working in the vicinity of Bear Den Mountain.
So, the size is not known as they work to see what they’ll do to contain the blaze.
Fox said she didn’t know the wind velocity at the scene, but the conditions are dry and breezy.
They’re looking forward to a favorable weather forecast that brings the possibility between one-tenth to a quarter inch of rain to the scene overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the park has extended a burn ban that began Sunday morning until 8 p.m. Monday.
The park’s website advised rangers “will enforce a parkwide fire ban prohibiting all open-air fires including any type of wood fire, charcoal fires, wood-burning camp stoves, charcoal grills, gas, and propane cooking stoves. The Weather Service issued Red Flag Warnings and wind advisories for areas adjacent to the park.”
