13 acres affected by SNP wildfire
Over 13 acres of Shenandoah National Park faced the effects of a wildfire that started around 2 pm on Thursday and lasted till 11 pm that evening.
National Park Service firefighters and a crew from the United States Forest Service got the blaze under control in the Big Meadows area.
Several trails in the region and Rapidan Road remain closed while crews continue to clear remnants of the wildfire.
A power line in the impacted area left Big Meadows Wayside, Campground and Picnic Grounds and Lewis Mountain temporarily without power.
Those areas, which opened for the season yesterday, have reopened with power restored.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Update on the death of a firefighter on duty
The Virginia Department of Forestry announced the death of a Firefighter while fighting a wildfire in Buchanan County.
At approximately 8:30 p.m. March 9 Rocky S. Wood was killed when the All-Terrain Vehicle he was driving overturned while he was scouting for a containment line to battle the fire.
Wood was the cousin of Warren County Fire and Rescue Recruitment and Retention Coordinator Brenda Diehl.
Governor Glenn Youngkin has ordered by email that both United States and Virginia flags should fly at half-staff immediately and remain lowered until sunset Mar. 13 to honor Wood and his service.
Wood was a seven-year veteran of the Virginia Department of Forestry he also worked at the Department of Corrections at one time.
Wood also served as the Haysi Fire Chief and was the Vice Mayor of the town at one time he was 53 years of age with his biography found here.
The cause of the accident that took Wood’s life is still being investigated.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.