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UPDATED: Wildfire Closes Section Of Skyline Drive, A.T. At Shenandoah National Park

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By NPT Staff - April 17th, 2016

Smoke from a wildlfire in Shenandoah National Park at times Sunday swept across Skyline Drive/NPS

Editor's note: This updates with a section of Skyline Drive and part of the Appalachian Trail being closed due to the fire, acreage involved now said to be 500 acres.

A wildfire possibly started by a backcountry traveler spread Sunday to roughly 500 acres at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, leading officials to close sections of both Skyline Drive and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Sunday evening park officials said Skyline Drive had been closed from Swift Run Gap (mile 65, Skyline Drive) south to Loft Mountain (mile 79). Additionally, the Appalachian Trail was closed from Simmons Gap (mile 73) south to Ivy Creek Overlook (mile 77), and the Pinefield Hut (mile 75) also was closed.

“The fire has increased from 70 to 500 acres. The increased fire activity necessitated the closure of both that section of Skyland Drive and Appalachian Trail," said park spokeswoman Lisa Wilkolak. "The fire is moving up toward the Drive. It hasn’t arrived there or crossed over. Just for safety reasons we’ve closed that position of it."

Ms. Wikolak did not know how many hikers were on the Appalachian Trail, but said officials were working with trail-related groups such as the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club to alert hikers on the trail.

Fire danger in the park Sunday was rated "high." Park officials, who initially dispatched eight firefighters from their crews to battle the flames, had about three dozen on the fire by Sunday afternoon and additional firefighters were expected to arrive Monday from other agencies.

The fire, reported Saturday and thought to have been human-caused, was burning in the park's south district. Nicknamed the Rocky Mountain Fire, the blaze was entirely within designated wilderness in the park and located near Rocky Mount, a 2,734-foot mountain. In addition to the one section of the Appalachian Trail, other trails closed by the fire were the Rocky Mount Trail, Gap Run Trail, and Onemile Run Trail. 

This Google Earth map shows the approximate location of the fire. The green mountain symbol represents Rocky Mount (not Rocky Mountain)/Google Earth

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