Wolf Gap fire 70% contained

Daily Staff Report

EDINBURG -- The U.S. Forest Service reported Saturday afternoon that the fire in the Wolf Gap area of the George Washington National Forest is now 70 percent contained.

A press release on Friday from the Forest Service said control lines on the north and south flanks of the fire have been completed.

The fire covers an area east of Va. 675 and north of Forest Development Road 92.

Chief Gary Yew of the Shenandoah County Department of Fire and Rescue on Friday called the burnout "a good sign."

"it's a great day to conduct burnout operations," Yew said. "They don't have wind to contend with and don't have to worry about backfire escaping."

Yew said his department was ready to help with additional engines if needed, but had received no such requests from the Forest Service.

Authorities say the fire began Sunday when an unidentified person dumped ashes from a fire pit in the woods.

The Forest Service press release said that the public can expect the burnout to generate some smoke Saturday as "pockets of vegetation continue to burn in the interior of the fire."

Trail closures as of Saturday afternoon include:

• Mill Mountain Trail #1004


• Big Schloss Trail 1004A


• Big Schloss Cutoff Trail #415


• Little Stony Creek Trail #571


• Little Sluice Mountain Trail398


• Tibbet Knob Trail #578


• Tuscarora Trail - Pond Run #1013.2


• Three Ponds Section #1013.1

Wolf Gap/Trout Run Road - Route 675 - is open, but motorists are asked to drive slowly.

Hunters planning to participate in the Virginia Spring Gobbler turkey season that starts on Saturday should heed laws prohibiting the killing or capture of wild birds or animals in any area adjacent to a forest fire, according to the Forest Service. The same rule also applies to West Virginia where Youth Gobbler season starts on Saturday.