A Bedford County fire is leading to some trail closures on National Forest lands as 57 firefighters and support staff work to try to extinguish the flames.
The Matts Creek fire is five miles southeast of Glasgow and five miles northwest of Big Island. The fire is located south of U.S. 501 and the James River within the James River Face Wilderness in the Jefferson National Forest.
The entire fire is on forest lands. There are no structures threatened.
The fire was first reported on Sunday. The cause of the fire is unknown.
The following areas are temporarily closed to allow for public and firefighter safety:
- Appalachian Trail (FT #1) from James River Foot Bridge to Petite’s Gap Road (FR #35)
- James River Foot Bridge Parking Lot
- Matts Creek Trail (FT #4/Old A.T.)
- Piney Ridge Trail (FT #2)
- Balcony Falls Trail (FT #7)
- Gunther Ridge Trail (FT #8)
- Belfast Trail (FT #9)
- Sulphur Springs Trail (FT# 3001)
State 1 fire restrictions are in place.
The following acts are prohibited on all lands administered by George Washington and Jefferson National forests:
- Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire outside of developed recreation sites.
- Possessing, discharging or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device.
Campfires in a Forest Service provided metal fire pit, ring or grill at a developed recreation site are allowed.
For fire updates, visit https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/vavaf-matts-creek-fire
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Crystal Graham
