Monongahela National Forest has announced that conditions may be appropriate over the next few days for prescribed burning at two sites.
Fire officials plan to burn 96 acres in the Brushy Mountain/Buskirk Grouse Management Area, just north and south of Mapledale in Greenbrier County. They are also planning to burn about nine acres at Cheat Summit Fort, the location of a Civil War Union encampment in Randolph County, about 6.5 miles northwest of Bartow.
“We hope to begin burning in at least one of these locations as early as Friday, but it really depends on weather conditions,” said John Fry, Assistant Fire Management Officer for Monongahela National Forest. “We have been monitoring onsite weather data for the last few days and will notify local radio stations as soon as we know for sure when and where we are going to burn.”
These areas will be closed to the public during burning, and may be closed for several days afterward to ensure public safety. Signs will be posted on roads near all prescribed burn areas before and during burning. Residents and forest visitors may see and smell smoke for several days.
Local 911 centers and radio stations will be alerted to burn activities ahead of time. When burning begins information will be available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/