SNP’s Rocky Branch Fire now 80% contained

*****UPDATE***** SNP re-opens Byrds Nest Shelter 4, all trails and lifts fire pan At 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, Shenandoah National Park will open Byrds Nest 4 Shelter, all closed trails, and lift the parkwide fire ban which prohibited all open-air fires including any type of wood fire, charcoal fires, wood-burning camp stoves, charcoal grills, gas, and propane cooking stoves. Reopened trails include Appalachian Trail from Elkwallow to Beahms Gap, Rocky Branch, Neighbor Mountain, Jeremys Run, Hull School Trail from Skyline Drive to Thornton River Upper Trail, Thornton River Upper Trail from intersection of Hull School Trail to Skyline Drive. __________ Shenandoah National Park (SNP) announced Wednesday morning that firefighters now have 80 percent containment of the Rocky Branch fire. “This morning the fire has received a tenth of an inch of rain with another tenth expected today,” a SNP public information officer reported. “While there has been no new fire growth, more accurate mapping resulted in increased acreage.” Skyline Drive reopened Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. SNP has released some personnel including members of the United States Forest Service’s Southern Area Red Team out of Atlanta, Ga., that arrived Saturday morning along with some equipment used to battle the blaze. Tuesday, firefighters cleared fallen trees from the Appalachian Trail (AT) and patrolled Skyline Drive and around the fire perimeter. In Kemp Hollow firefighters continued to secure the fire edge. They also mapped the west side of the fire. Monitoring will continue today as the rain falls. After rain, firefighters will continue to patrol the fire’s west side and extinguish remaining burning stumps and logs. “There are 40 personnel on the fire including firefighters, engines, and overhead,” the spokesperson said. The AT remains closed from Elkwallow to Beahms Gap along with the following trails within the park: Rocky Branch, Neighbor Mountain, Jeremy’s Run, Hull School from Skyline Drive to Thornton River Upper Trail, and Thornton River Upper Trail from the intersection of Hull School Trail back to Skyline Drive. The fire ban remains in place for all of SNP. Gas or propane cooking stoves are allowed.