CHERRY GROVE, W.Va. — Firefighters are starting to get the upper hand on a forest fire in the Monongahela National Forest in Pendleton County which has been burning since last week.
Precipitation helped dampen the forest floor on the Woodside Fire near Cherry Grove and crews were able to increase containment to 75 percent over the weekend. Officials say because of that effort put in by firefighters over the weekend and the expected weather today, there’s a low probability of the fire spreading any further today. Crews are taking the opportunity to patrol and extinguish any remaining hotspots as road and trail conditions allow for safe access.
Although at 75 percent, crews are starting to wind down the operation with any equipment no longer needing being demobilized and returned to its home. The crews have also started rehabilitation of land after the fire suppression efforts.
Firefighters will continue to monitor the fire to make sure containment lines are holding. Tuesday, the fire management team responsible for the Woodside Fire will transfer command of the fire back to the local Forest Service and Division of Forestry offices. Incident commanders, Jesse Holguin and Gabe Templeton, and would like to thank the Pendleton County Office of Emergency Management, local responders, and the community for their support during this wildfire.
The fire ultimately grew to 360 acres.