Fire crews were back on Cacapon Mountain in Morgan County on Tuesday morning, working to hold the line on a woodland fire that burned across two sides of the mountain, including part of Cacapon State Park.
The fire was first reported by the public around 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. Morgan County 911 dispatchers took more than 45 calls about smoke rising on both sides of the mountain. Based on assessments from the West Virginia Division of Forestry, more than 10.7 acres of forest were involved.
To figure out exactly where the fire was and how big it had grown, local officials brought in a Maryland State Police helicopter to fly over the area. From there, crews attacked the fire from two directions. Units on the east side used the access road that runs along the top of the mountain through Cacapon State Park, staging tanker trucks at the park overlook to refill smaller brush trucks, ATVs and UTVs. Other crews came in from the Great Cacapon side. The rugged western side was the hardest to reach, with the fire reportedly about eight miles from a decent road.
By midnight Monday, firefighters, forestry crews and park staff had the fire contained, and the scene was turned over to the Division of Forestry for overnight monitoring.
That was not the end of it. As winds picked up Tuesday morning, forestry crews called in more help to re-establish fire lines around the burned area and knock down hot spots that were still active. Around 9:30 a.m., more brush and wildland units were sent back toward Cacapon Lodge Drive.
The public is being asked to stay out of the fire response area while crews work.
The response was a true regional effort. All four Morgan County fire companies, Berkeley Springs, South Morgan, Great Cacapon and Paw Paw, were joined by wildland and support units from Jefferson County, Hedgesville, and neighboring Maryland and Pennsylvania, along with Morgan County EMS, the Morgan County Sheriff's Department, Cacapon State Park and the Division of Forestry.
No cause has been announced.
If you live near Cacapon Mountain or are planning a visit to the park, give crews plenty of room, and remember that dry leaves and wind can turn a small outdoor fire into a big problem fast this time of year.