Increase in wildfire activity and an update on Neighbor Mtn and Point 2

In addition to the 2 fires below (the Neighbor Mountain and Point 2) the state had 33 fires for 177 acres over the weekend. Several place received rain withe the storms but many areas received little or no rain, just heavy winds and lightning. 19 of the 33 fires reported were lightning fires.

Neighbor Mountain Fire Incident Update

Monday, July 2, 2012

Information: 404-354-5027 or 404-354-5118

Increased smoke is expected from the Neighbor Mountain Fire.

Overview:

precipitation from the recent storm, but has again begun to increase due to drying conditions. This will result in

increased smoke.

The fire has been burning since June 26, 2012. Fire activity was reduced as a result of

Size:

Shenandoah National Park.

Estimated at 1125 acres as of 4:00 p.m. on 7/01/12, and is still entirely within the boundaries of

Containment:

20% at 4:00 p.m. on 7/01/12. No estimated date of containment.

Fire Conditions:

lines. The forest is a mix of hardwoods, mountain laurel, blueberry and leaf litter.

The fire is burning in steep, rocky terrain and moving slowly downhill toward containment

Today’s Strategy:

Construction of indirect lines is to be completed today.

Crews will continue to build and strengthen lines with direct attack as conditions permit.

Current Resources:

a unified command with the National Park Service and the Virginia Dept. of Forestry to manage the fire.

Resources assigned to the fire include personnel from the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, US

Fish and Wildlife Service, Virginia Department of Forestry, Mississippi Forestry Commission, and many other

cooperating agencies. There are 237 personnel working on the incident.

The Southern Area Red Team, as a Type 2 incident management team has established

Threats:

No immediate threats to structures.

Fire Closures:



Cutoff, Knob Mountain, Neighbor Mountain, Jeremys Run. Byrd’s Nest #4 Shelter.

The following trails are closed: Appalachian Trail between Elkwallow and Beahms Gap, Knob Mountain



Visitor facilities, Skyline Drive, local highways and amenities all remain open.

Incident Information Sources:

communities – neighbormtnfire@gmail.com. Current information will be available on the park twitter and

facebook sites – http://www.facebook.com/shenandoahnps and

Fire details can also be found on

POINT 2 FIRE

Incident Overview

The Point 2 Wildland Fire is located entirely on national forest lands on Massanutten Mountain between Veach Gap and Sherman Gap in the counties of Warren and Shenandoah. The fire poses a potential threat to homes and private land on the east and west sides. The public is always advised to prepare for a worse case scenario.
Residents should be prepared for smoky or hazy conditions in towns or on road ways. The fire will continue to grow on its own due to hot, dry weather and dry soil conditions.
The terrain is steep, rocky and remote making access to the fire extremely challenging.
Because of the active fire behavior, the following trails are closed until further notice:
The Massanutten National Recreation (#408) from Shawl Gap to Veach Gap. The Tuscarora Trail (#405.1) is closed from Shawl Gap to Panhandle Road (SR 613).
Sherman Gap (#403) and Veach Gap (#484) Trails are also closed. The Little Crease Trail Shelter is also closed to all public use.
The number one priority is public and firefighter safety.
Please use caution with all campfires. Be advised that fireworks are prohibited on national forest lands.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	Monday June 25th, 2012 approx. 01:30 PM
Location	George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, Lee Ranger District: Massanutten Mountain
Incident Commander	Oscar Montijo/ Jay Collet

Current Situation

Total Personnel	218
Size	890 acres
Percent Contained	30%
Fuels Involved	Predominately hardwood with some areas of pine and understory brush.
Fire Behavior	Backing and flanking during the burn out operation. Fire continues to burn into the deep duff layer on the dryer ridges.
Significant Events	Fire continues to spread east and south along the ridge tops. Began aerial burnout operation on the east side.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Plans for Monday 7/2/12: Firefighters will continue to construct, hold and inprove control lines with bulldozers and hand tools. Assess opportunities to burn out as needed. Complete burn out operations on the east side of the fire. Helicopters will drop water to slow down the fire spread, bring supplies to firefighters and provide aerial ignition for burnout. The public can expect to see smoke on Monday as the fire continues to spread toward control lines and burn out operations are used to burn remaining fuels on the west side. Fire crews will be on the fire Sunday night.
Growth Potential	There is medium growth potential due to heavy, dry fuels, the steep rugged terrain, difficult access and weather conditions.
Terrain Difficulty	Terrain is extremely steep, rocky and rugged making access to the fire challenging for firefighters.
Remarks	Residents should be prepared for smoky or hazy conditions in towns and on roadways. Please use caution with all campfires. Be advised that fireworks are prohibited on national forest lands. Homeowners are encouraged to visit www.firewise.org for information on how to make their homes more defensible from wildfires. #1 priority is public and firefighter safety. The fire received 0.2 inches of rain on Friday night from a line of severe thunderstorms that moved through the area last night. There are numerous power outages and trees down in the vicinity of the fire and the ICP.

Current Weather

Wind Conditions	17 mph NW
Temperature	94 degrees
Humidity	29%

Incident Management has set up an email account for communication with thehttp://twitter.com/ShenandoahNPS.www.inciweb.gov, search Neighbor Mountain Fire