The biggest wildfire anyone in Morgan County has on record is still burning on Cacapon Mountain, and now firefighters have a second one to deal with just down the ridge.
As of Friday, the Kessel Fire at Cacapon Resort State Park had burned about 275 acres and was roughly 65 percent contained, according to the West Virginia Division of Forestry and Morgan County emergency officials. County emergency management says it is officially the largest forest fire in Morgan County's history. For a county where a 50-acre brush fire is normally considered a big one, that's a sobering milestone.
A Second Fire on the Same Mountain
Crews' manpower is now being split. A second forest fire broke out about five miles south of the main blaze, on private land on the west side of the same mountain, according to the Morgan County Office of Emergency Management. About 15 firefighters from local departments were sent to that new fire.
Roughly 40 Division of Forestry firefighters remain on the Kessel Fire along with volunteers from local fire departments. West Virginia National Guard Blackhawk helicopters are still flying water-drop missions, which officials say have helped slow the fire and given ground crews the upper hand in building and holding fire lines.
Weather Isn't Helping
While much of West Virginia has picked up rain in the past couple of days, the Eastern Panhandle has stayed dry. Morgan County emergency officials said only a small amount of rain fell Thursday, winds are picking up, and there's no rain in the forecast for days.
Back-burns have gone fairly well, officials said. Crews had a few small back-burns left on the north side of the fire before moving to the southern end. On Thursday, forestry crews and contractors cut a dozer line and completed protective burns between the fire and homes along Boulders Springs and Park Side Place.
What We Know
The fire was first reported Monday afternoon by a passing driver who spotted smoke on Cacapon Mountain, in a spot so remote it took crews more than an hour to reach it. Officials have said no people or businesses have been evacuated, and the cause remains under investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted the airspace around the fire, including for drones, so firefighting aircraft can work safely.
If you live in or are traveling through Morgan County, keep an eye on official updates from county emergency management, give crews and equipment plenty of room on the roads, and hold off on any outdoor burning while conditions stay this dry. And to every firefighter, Guard crew member and volunteer working that mountain: thank you.