The Wild Rock Fire: How Unified Command Saved Homes in the New River Gorge

On the afternoon of November 9, 2022, the Wild Rock fire broke out in West Virginia’s New River Gorge. It started on private land, spread quickly into New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, and threatened nearby homes and businesses.

One command, two agencies

The fire was fought under a unified command: an incident commander from the National Park Service and one from Fayette County Fire and Emergency Services led the response jointly. By the second day the fire had grown to about 200 acres and still threatened homes and businesses.

Firefighters called in the West Virginia National Guard, whose Black Hawk helicopter crew — Company C, 1-150th Assault Battalion, from Wheeling — made 22 bucket drops, delivering more than 13,200 gallons of water from the air.

The fire burning below Wild Rock. NPS.

Hard conditions, a clean result

Steep terrain, high winds, dry fuels and low humidity made the work dangerous. The unified approach let crews move fast to protect structures and contain the fire before it spread further, and the helicopter spared firefighters some of the risk of working on the steep slopes near active fire. In the end no structures were lost and no firefighters or residents were injured.

Michelle Faherty, the Park Service incident commander, credited teamwork, skill and professionalism for the result: “we had zero injuries and did not have any damage to any structures on the Wild Rock Fire,” she said. “All resources and the public at large can be really proud of a job well-done and for showing such support and dedication.”

Sources

Based on "Unified Command proves successful in Wild Rock Fire," New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain.