Six short videos, introductions to fire management personnel

Shenandoah National Park is featuring some great little vignettes of personnel working on the Rocky Mtn Fire. In addition to Jeff Koenig’s above, check out the others:

Fire Behavior Analyst – Gary Jarvis
Safety Officer – Tony Rivers
Air Resource Advisor – Andrea Holland 
Incident Meteorologist – Phil Manuel
Division Supervisor – Jennifer Rabuck
Radio Operator – Justin Perry 

This is great. More organizations should do this.

Rocky Mnt Fire in Shenandoah NP

Skyline Drive is closed from Swift Run (mile 65) to Loft Mountain (mile 79).

(UPDATED at 3:15 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2016)

The Rocky Mtn Fire in Shenandoah National Park was recently mapped at 10,326 acres, covering about half of the “Maximum Management Area” established by the Incident Management Team and the Park.

There was rain on the fire Tuesday and more is expected off and on for the next seven days. Considering the forecast and ongoing spring green-up, incident meteorologist Phil Manuel stated that for this area, “Fire weather season is done”.

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(UPDATED at 8:55 a.m. EDT, April 22, 2016)

Rocky Mtn Fire
Rocky Mtn Fire April 19, 2016

In the video below, Superintendent Jim Northup describes the 20,000-acre Maximum Management Area within which Shenandoah National Park hopes to contain the Rocky Mtn Fire.

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(UPDATED at 10:35 p.m. EDT, April 21, 2016)

Nicole Mittendorff
Nicole Mittendorff, 31, of Woodbridge, Virginia.

There is news related to the disappearance of 31-year-old Nicole Mittendorff, the missing firefighter from Fairfax, Virginia whose car was found in Shenandoah National Park. She was first reported missing Friday of last week when she did not show up at the fire station for her shift. At approximately 2:00 p.m. today a ground team of National Park Service and Virginia State Police personnel discovered a body in a remote location more than a mile from the Whiteoak Canyon parking area and about 330 yards from the trail in treacherous rocky terrain. National Park Service and Virginia State Police are currently still processing the scene. The search has been suspended. WTOP reports that the Virginia State Police and the family believe the remains are those of Ms. Mittendorff.

The car and the remains were about 22 miles from the Rocky Mount Fire. There has been no report so far that this incident is related to the wildfire.

As of Thursday afternoon, the fire has burned 7,935 acres.

On Wednesday fire crews improved containment lines by burning out vegetation between the fire and eight miles of containment lines along the northern & northwestern perimeter of the fire. Additional fire line preparation was successfully completed along the Skyline Parkway. Work continues on several dozer lines along the western side of the fire to tie together existing terrain features.

With the changing and variable winds Wednesday fire crews picked up multiple spot fires, catching and containing all of them. These included: on the south eastern side, a spot fire north of the Patterson Ridge Trail west of the Plainfield hut, one small one on the northwest corner of the fire and 6 small spot fires near the One Mile Trail Run.

After it’s been burning for five days, the Incident Management Team put out word today that the name is now “Rocky Mtn Fire 2016”.

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(UPDATED at 1:40 p.m. EDT, April 20, 2016)

Rocky Mount Fire Supt Jim Northup
Shenandoah National Park Superintendent Jim Northup at a morning briefing at the Rocky Mount Fire. NPS photo.

The Rocky Mount Fire in Shenandoah National Park has expanded to 5,600 acres, according to the Type 1 incident management team that assumed command of the fire Wednesday morning. The fire is burning in mountain laurel, pine, and oak forests with heavy leaf litter.

On Tuesday afternoon the fire burned across Skyline Drive blackening 80 to 100 acres on the east side of the highway near mile marker 76. Today crews are actively suppressing that portion of the fire, assisted by two water dropping helicopters.

Firefighters conducted a burnout operation near the Beldor Hollow Community to help contain the fire to that area. Crews expect the fire will hold at Beldor Hollow Road.

The fire progressed south near Brown Mountain Trail on Tuesday and was active overnight near Two Mile Run Lane. The Virginia Department of Forestry crews monitored the area overnight. Fire crews are providing structure protection near the Two Mile Run and Lam Hollow communities.

Firefighting resources assigned, available, or en route include two air tankers, four helicopters, six engines, for a total of 248 personnel.

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