Burn Out Planned Today for Smith Run Fire

Date: February 21, 2011

Firefighters continue to work on the Smith Run Fire in Shenandoah National Park for a third day.

·        People may see more smoke today from the Lands Run-Browntown area of Warren County. Firefighters plan to burn out fuels within the containment lines built over the past two days. This planned action, burning out, is the safest method to keep the fire within the containment lines which includes very steep and rocky terrain.

·        No significant additional acreage has burned since yesterday's update (approximately 2,000).

·        Due to the fire and to ensure visitor safety, the Skyline Drive between Front Royal and Rt. 211 remains closed to traffic. The following trail closures are in effect until further notice: Mt. Marshall Trail from Skyline Drive to the intersection at the Bluff Trail; Appalachian Trail between Compton Gap and the Browntown Trail; Lands Run Gap Fire Road; and the Jenkins Gap Trail.

·        Rain and snow are possible in the area and will assist firefighters, but are not expected to extinguish the fire.

·        Crews from the National Park Service, the Monongahela National Forest and Asheville Interagency Hotshots continue to work the fire, along with engines from the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Additional crews have been requested.

·        No structures within park boundaries are threatened. Warren County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, Rappahannock County Volunteer Fire Departments, and Virginia Department of Forestry continue to provide structural fire protection on private property.

·        The Smith Run Fire is now being managed jointly with three fires on the George Washington/Jefferson National Forests: the Pickle Branch, Chestnut Ridge and Coffman Fires. A Type 1 Interagency Incident Management Team (Southern Area Red Team) will allocate crews, engines and other personnel as needed among the four fires. Together these fires are known as the Valley Complex.