Rain showers helped slow the pace of a wildfire that broke out Wednesday near the Turkey Spur Overlook in the New River Gorge National River's Grandview area, where firefighters continued working to contain the blaze Thursday.
Before rain moved into the area shortly after midnight Thursday, the wind-fanned fire jumped a containment line, according to New River Gorge spokeswoman Julena Campbell. It charred about 20 acres of forest and destroyed a portion of a newly built boardwalk and stairway.
"The fire started near the overlook and began working its way downslope really fast," Campbell said. "Reports of a second fire in the Prince area came in around midnight, but when crews arrived on scene, it was determined that it was the same fire that had just progressed down the slope."
About 40 firefighters from the National Park Service, the West Virginia Division of Forestry, and the Beaver, Coal City, Bradley-Prosperity, Ghent and Sophia Area volunteer fire departments fought the blaze on the steep, rocky slope below the overlook on Wednesday.
On Thursday, 16 firefighters were on the scene to continue the work of bringing the fire under control. As of Thursday morning, the fire was estimated to be 20 percent contained.
"As a result of the rain, high relative humidity and lots of cloud cover, the fire activity is greatly reduced at this time," Campbell said. "Crews will work on containment lines, monitor the fire and begin mop-up activities in some area today. The forecast calls for scattered rain this afternoon and the location and amount of any rain received will dictate what fire activity looks like over the next few days."
The Turkey Spur boardwalk and stairs, completed last September to improve access to viewpoints along the canyon rim rock formation, will eventually be rebuilt, Campbell said. Meanwhile, the Turkey Spur overlook, Turkey Spur Road, and the northern end of Grandview Rim Trail are closed until further notice.
An initial investigation indicates that the fire was caused by humans, but further details await the completion of the investigation, Campbell said.
Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelhammer@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5169 or follow @rsteelhammer on Twitter.