By Stephen Smoot
Shortly after noon on Monday, according to the Facebook page of the Pendleton County Office of Emergency Management and 911, a call came in about a fire that broke out in Smoke Hole Canyon near Eagle Rock.
As crews responded to contain and extinguish the blaze, a firefighter suffered an injury, but it was not serious. He was transported to a local hospital, then treated and released.
Despite significant amounts of rain lately, warm temperatures with sustained breezes and windy conditions have a “wicking” effect. They draw moisture out of the ground and foliage, leaving them dry enough to spark.
According to the Upper Tract Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page, the “fire was originally dispatched as a small brush fire, but grew in minutes and moved rapidly up the mountain.” The site also described how fire crews got to the top of the mountain to contain and control.
The OEM noted that “terrain is extremely steep and rocky” in the area where the blaze erupted.
Upper Tract VFD noted “special thanks to all the mutual aid departments” which included Franklin Volunteer Fire Department, South Fork Volunteer Fire Department, Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department, Maysville Volunteer Fire Department, Moorefield Volunteer Fire Department, Mon National Forest, the Pendleton County Office of Emergency Management, Pendleton County Emergency Rescue, and the UTVFD Auxiliary “for the food and drinks.”
From the United States Forest Service came a helicopter with the capacity to pick up and drop water on the site. It repeatedly maneuvered carefully into place and dropped the water with precision. UTVFD credited those drops, along with “hard work by many VFD members” with containing the fire, for the most part, by 4:45 that afternoon.
Despite the soaking evening rains, however, a few well-contained “hot spots” persisted within the fire line, burning into the night.
The area remains dangerous. UTVFD warns all that the “biggest issue is large trees and rocks are still currently falling onto Smoke Hole Road” and that it might take some time to clear the debris.
Despite recent rains and the winter snowfall, the federal website drought.gov states that last month was the 15th driest March in the past 135 years. The entire county has been placed in the “abnormally dry” category. Streamflow past the gauges in Brandywine and Franklin show the flows in the “low” category, which is the most extreme in terms of light streamflow.
Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, and Mineral counties are in the first stages of official drought already. Continued dry conditions will elevate the fire danger.
The Pendleton County OEM stated that the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
