Backfires were started by crews to burn out areas to create barriers to contain the Rocky MTN fire/NPS

Progress continued Monday to be made on knocking down the Rocky MTN Fire at Shenandoah National Park, with containment lines stretching around 60 percent of the fire. Just the same, the park's superintendent felt it necessary to explain the Park Service's approach to battling the blaze.

The fire, at nearly 9,400 acres the second largest in the park's history, has understandly "caused a great deal of concern from park neighbors and supporters, and there has been some misunderstanding about how the fire is being managed," Superintendent Jim Northup said in an open letter released Monday. 

The superintendent then proceeded to explain how the Park Service first learned of the fire on April 16, that it already covered about 70 acres by the time a small crew of firefighters reached it, and that they "immediately ordered additional firefighting crews and equipment, including wildland fire engines and a helicopter for water drops. On that first day, to better support the suppression effort, I also authorized the use of chainsaws, leaf blowers, and helicopters in the designated Wilderness – tools that are not normally allowed in Wilderness, except in emergency situations."

Complicating the firefighting efforts, Superintendent Northup said, was the fact that the blaze was in rugged, steep terrain and that "(F)uel moistures were at historically low levels and we were observing flame lengths, fire behavior and spread that are quite unusual for this part of the country."

"From the beginning, the only option for the park was to manage the fire. When direct attack of a fire is unsafe, as it was in this case, fire managers have no choice but to revert to indirect attack – pulling back and selecting defensible locations (such as roads, natural barriers or constructed fire lines) where there is a reasonably good chance of safely stopping the fire," the superintendent pointed out. "This defined area is known in fire management as the Maximum Management Area (MMA) – and for this fire was defined as keeping the fire west of the Skyline Drive, east of the park’s western boundary, south of Beldor Hollow and Gap Run and originally, north of One Mile Run Trail. As the fire growth continued to exceed our expectations, the southern limit of the MMA has had to be adjusted, but the other original boundaries have remained the same. It is important for the public to understand that allowing the fire to come to these stopping points, where safe, defensible positions have been prepared is not the same as 'letting the fire burn' out of control."

After a damp weekend, Monday's forecast called for a return to "warmer and drier conditions, 10 to 15 degrees above normal, that will allow for increased fire behavior," fire bosses noted. 

Still, those managing the fire believe they can have it fully contained by Saturday. Long term, the fire should actually be beneficial to Shenandoah, the superintendent said.

"While the park did not ignite, nor wish for this fire under these very dry and windy conditions, natural resource managers feel that overall, the fire will be beneficial to forest health in this part of the park, which is classified as a Fire Ecology Zone, with several fire dependent species," he wrote in his letter. "Having not burned for over 85 years, (in an area where low intensity ground fires should naturally occur every 3-9 years) the Rocky Mount area of the prk has had an unnaturally high level of fuel accumulation (leaves, pine needle litter, branches and fallen trees) and was destined to burn at some point.

"As a result of the fire, organic material and other nutrients have been recycled into the soil, which will stimulate new plant growth. Burning primarily leaves and dead and down material, the fire will result in very little tree mortality, and very little negative impact on wildlife species, which have evolved in the presence of fire over thousands of years. The fire will be particularly beneficial for several plant species including native grasses and wildflowers, oak and pine communities. Wildlife, including white-tailed deer, black bear, songbirds and many other species will benefit from the acorns, blueberries and other seeds, produced by plants rejuvenated by fire."