Fire risk in Potomac Highlands could persist following earlier fires; officials hope for rain

West Virginia National Guard personnel conduct aerial wildland firefighting sorties over Hardy County, West Virginia, on March 22, 2024. West Virginia Jim Justice declared a State of Emergency for four counties in the Eastern Panhandle of the Mountain State due to serious wildland fires that have consumed more than 4,000 acres of woodlands and threaten local communities and residences. Crews flying UH60M and HH60M Blackhawk helicopters from Company C, 1-150th Assault Battalion and Company C, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion are utilizing an aerial firefighting system called a “Bambi Bucket” capable of dropping up to 630 gallons of water on active fire lines per sortie to combat the blazes. The delivery method allows firefighters to contain or extinguish the fire in areas of rough and dangerous terrain that ground-based personnel could not safely or easily reach. (Edwin Wriston | courtesy photo]

High winds and low humidity coupled with an overwhelmingly dry, mild winter sparked raging brush fires in the Potomac Highlands region of the state over the last two weeks, and officials say the threat of future burning is still present as another red flag warning could be on the way.

It all depends on how much rain is set to come to the region in coming days, said Dan Hofmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. A storm front was moving in over the weekend, with hopes it will hit with wet and rainy conditions in the beginning of the week. Following any precipitation, however, will likely be a return to dry and breezy weather, again increasing the risk of fire.

“If we’re able to get some moisture and keep things a bit wet, that will help mitigate the risks, but it all depends on how much rain really comes in,” Hofmann said.

Linda Carnell, assistant forester with the West Virginia Division of Forestry, said crews are on the ground in Pendleton, Hardy, Grant and Hampshire counties monitoring conditions following the ignition of about 25 brush fires over the last two weeks that burned through roughly 5,100 acres of land.

“I’ve seen quite a few fires over the years, and this is one of the spookiest ones I’ve seen,” Carnell said. “Everyone is waiting for that rain. It’s supposed to be a deluge of rain, but we’ve got to wait and see. A deluge to some is still only a trickle to others.”

The fires are all contained at this point, but Hofmann said the risk of another red flag warning is real. There is no way to know for sure, however, what conditions on the ground will look like until the weather system actually hits.

The weather that helped spark the brush fires around March 20, Hofmann said, was “a little bit unusual” even for March, which is often the windiest month of the year.

“It was particularly dry, particularly windy — even on the valley floors,” Hoffman said. “You don’t see that very often, maybe every several years.”

Carnell said the unusual weather conditions were compounded by a dry winter, where limited snowfall in the region left the land — including leaves, twigs and trees — dry, meaning it’s easier for a fire to start if a spark is present. While official reports on this month’s fires are yet to be released, several of them seem to have started from electrical wiring knocked down by high winds, Carnell said.

Gov. Jim Justice on March 21 issued a state of emergency for the fires in Grant, Pendleton, Hardy and Hampshire counties, a critical step that allowed responding agencies access to more resources as they worked to extinguish fires.

“We were able to get the National Guard here, it freed up so many resources that we needed,” Carnell said.

The National Guard response included the use of two Blackhawk helicopters, which allowed responders to fight the fires from the air as well as the ground. Those were “critical” in helping workers gain control of the flames, Carnell said.

Along with the National Guard, crews from dozens of volunteer fire departments across the state were sent to the region to help with response. They worked alongside officials from several state agencies, with a command center set up at the Hardy County 911 center.

Bobby Funke, fire chief at the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department in Grant County, said his crews worked for nearly three days straight. It took a toll, and he was incredibly relieved when last Friday most of the fires had been contained.

“It’s never easy doing this work, but it takes a special kind of person,” Funke said. “What we saw during that response were a bunch of people who understood that and understood how important it was for all of us to be there.”

Carnell said cooperation is crucial in responses like this. It’s never been a challenge, she said, to get the right agencies and groups involved to help.

“That’s the warm and fuzzy part of all of this,” Carnell said, “I’m never worried whether the citizens of West Virginia will come out to do what needs to be done, they always will.”

Aside from the potential future fire risk, Carnell said residents in the Potomac Highlands region can expect to see some hazy air conditions in coming days and possibly weeks as smoke pollution from the fires still circulates. Again, it will take substantial and heavy rain to make it dissipate quicker.

“We need that rain,” Carnell said, “so here’s to hoping.”

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