National Guard joins wildfire fight
Mar. 23—CUMBERLAND — Firefighters battling a massive wildfire in Hardy County received help from the West Virginia National Guard on Friday, as a blaze near Petersburg in Grant County was declared 100% contained.
The Grace Mountain Fire is the biggest of several fires burning since Wednesday in Hardy County. It has charred more than 1,000 acres and destroyed several structures, West Virginia MetroNews reported.
"Members of the West Virginia National Guard are responding to the Eastern Panhandle to help local and state officials combat large-scale wildland fires that have consumed more than 4,000 acres of woodlands and threaten communities and residences," the Guard said in a Friday statement.
Friday morning, aircrews flying Blackhawk helicopters began aerial firefighting operations over Hardy County, utilizing lightweight, flexible buckets that are slung under the helicopter fuselage and capable of holding 630 gallons of water. During flight operations, helicopter crews dip the buckets into water sources, then deliver the water as directed by ground crews over the fire line.
"This 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," the Guard said.
In Grant County, the fire about six miles from Petersburg, dubbed the Spring Run Fire, scorched about 850 acres, according to a social media post by the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department. It also started Wednesday.
"There are still several spots burning but it is all contained," firefighters said.
No structures were damaged by that fire.
The fire outbreak prompted Gov. Jim Justice to declare a state of emergency Thursday afternoon in four counties — Hardy, Grant, Hampshire and Pendleton — to allow the allocation of necessary resources and expedite emergency response efforts.
Several structures were destroyed Wednesday by fires in Hampshire County.
Smoke, rain
A shift in wind direction pushed wildfire smoke into Western Maryland and the Potomac Highlands on Friday.
Hampshire County Emergency Management said in a statement that heavy dense smoke across that county was coming from the Grace Mountain Fire.
Rain amounts of about a half an inch late Friday into midday Saturday across the Potomac Highlands were expected to help crews battling the blazes.
