There are two significant wildfires currently burning on federal lands in Virginia. The US Forest Service and the National Park Service both have fires.
The Point 2 Wildland Fire is located on the Massanutten Mountain between Veach Gap and Sherman Gap in the counties of Warren and Shenandoah. The public can expect to see smoke for several days due to the dry conditions in the fire location and the lack of predicted precipitation. The terrain is steep, rocky and remote making access to the fire extremely challenging.
Because of the active fire behavior, the following trails are closed until further notice:
The Massanutten National Recreation (#408) from Shawl Gap to Veach Gap. The Tuscarora Trail (#405.1) is closed from Shawl Gap to Panhandle Road (SR 613). Sherman Gap (#403) and Veach Gap (#484) Trails are also closed.
The number one priority is public and firefighter safety.
Please use caution with all campfires. Be aware that fireworks are prohibited on national forest lands.
The NPS Fire is called the Neighbor Mtn Fire and is near the star on the map below.
This fire is currently 250 acres in size. This fire is also a possible lightning strike from a storm over the weekend. There are 30 people on the fire now with additional resources being ordered up and will be in place tomorrow. The Virginia Department of Forestry will be concentrating suppression efforts along Rt 612 where numerous homes and a church is in the area. Currently the fire is approximately 3/4 a mile from these structures but will possibly cover much of that distance up overnight and tomorrow.
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