The wildfire on Cacapon Mountain in Morgan County is larger than it was a day ago, but firefighters have also made a clear gain on containment.
According to an update from Morgan County 911 citing the West Virginia Division of Forestry, the Kessel Fire had burned about 260 acres and was about 60% contained as of a 5 p.m. operational briefing Wednesday. Mid-morning Wednesday, thermal estimates had put it at roughly 160 to 170 acres and about 30% contained. We first reported that earlier update here.
Backburns and Water Drops
Forestry officials said back-burning operations have helped them get a better handle on the fire, including a successful backburn that contained the northwest side. They have mapped additional backburns, weather permitting, and cautioned that those operations could increase the reported acreage.
West Virginia National Guard Black Hawk helicopters have been ferrying water from the lake at Cacapon Resort State Park and dropping it on the fire. A UH-60M Blackhawk from Company C, 1/150th Assault Battalion, based in Wheeling, was first sent to the mountain on Tuesday. Helicopter operations were completed for the day Wednesday, with local crews still available Thursday if needed.
Forestry officials said crews would be back on the fire lines Thursday. The Federal Aviation Administration also put a temporary flight restriction in place over a 10-nautical-mile area near the park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Thursday, from the surface up to 4,000 feet, according to a public safety alert from Morgan County 911. Unauthorized aircraft, including recreational drones, are prohibited in that airspace so firefighting aircraft can work safely.
A Regional Fight on a Tough Mountain
Ground crews have included the Division of Forestry, the Division of Natural Resources and local volunteer firefighters, with additional help this week from Maryland and Pennsylvania. Wednesday's assignments included National Guard Aviation and fire departments from Berkeley Springs, Great Cacapon, South Morgan, Paw Paw, Oldtown, Hancock, Flintstone and Reynolds Store Fire & Rescue. Mutual-aid units from Maryland, including the First Hose Company of Boonsboro, have also worked the fire. Local departments were added along Kessel Road to protect homes and other structures. Officials said no structures were immediately in danger, but wanted those resources in place if the wind or humidity shifted.
Mutual-aid crews from the First Hose Company of Boonsboro were back on the mountain Wednesday, working from 9:33 a.m. to 7:07 p.m. building a containment line and felling hazardous trees and downed timber, the department said.
The fire was first reported around 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. Crews thought they had it contained overnight, but winds on Tuesday pushed embers across the lines and rekindled it. Officials say the fight has been made harder by standing dead trees, many of them ash trees killed by the emerald ash borer, along with fallen timber and dry vegetation on the forest floor. Burned trees can fall without warning. No cause has been announced.
What You Should Know
Parts of Cacapon Resort State Park remain restricted, including the Overlook Trail north of the Batt Picnic Shelter and the Upper Lake. Officials are asking the public to stay away from the fire area, keep off roads crews are using, and not drive in to watch or take photos. Smoke and flames may still be visible in the established fire area. Morgan County 911 asked that people not report routine smoke or fire coming from the existing fire ground, which is already being monitored.
West Virginia's fall burning restrictions remain in effect through Dec. 31. Outdoor burning is prohibited from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and allowed only from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., with fires fully extinguished by 7 a.m. Please keep the crews on that mountain in your thoughts, and give them room to work.