Woodside Fire in West Virginia national forest reaches 75% containment

CIRCLEVILLE, W.Va. — Firefighters in West Virginia continue to make progress in ending the Woodside Fire in the Monongahela National Forest, with containment now at 75 percent. Cooler temperatures and weekend precipitation have helped moderate fire behavior.

Crews used the favorable conditions to construct additional handline and dozer line along the 385-acre fire’s perimeter, according to officials who emphasized that the safety of firefighters and the public remains the top priority.

Despite additional snowfall and cold temperatures expected today, personnel will continue monitoring operations to ensure containment lines hold, according to Andrea Brandon, a public affairs officer for the National Forest Service.

Given the weekend’s extensive suppression work and the incoming weather pattern, Brandon said the probability of fire spread today is very low.

Firefighters will continue to patrol the Woodside Fire perimeter, extinguishing remaining hotspots where road and trail access is safe, and will begin rehabilitating areas disturbed by suppression efforts. Demobilization has also begun, with crews preparing to return any unneeded equipment.

On Tuesday, management of the Woodside Fire incident will formally transition back to the Monongahela National Forest and the W.Va. Division of Forestry.

Incident commanders Jesse Holguin and Gabe Templeton thanked the Pendleton County Office of Emergency Management, local responders, and community members for their support throughout the response.

Starting tomorrow, public updates will shift to every other day. Additional information is available on InciWeb at Woodside Fire or on the Monongahela National Forest Facebook page.

Public Safety

Although activity at the site of the Woodside Fire has decreased, smoke may still be visible in Circleville, Cherry Grove, Big Mountain, and surrounding communities. Motorists should remain alert for emergency vehicles traveling on area roadways.

Weather

A cold front moved into the region on Monday, with temperatures peaking near 28 degrees and dropping to around 14 degrees overnight. Snow showers are likely after 1 p.m., with 2 to 4 inches of accumulation possible. West winds may gust up to 25 mph. Tuesday will be mostly sunny with a high near 29 and strong west winds gusting up to 36 mph.

Closures

The Vance Run Trail near the Laurel Fork of the Cheat River remains closed for public safety. Officials continue to urge the public to stay away from the Woodside fire area and remind drone operators that flying unmanned aircraft near wildfires is strictly prohibited.

About the Monongahela National Forest

The Monongahela National Forest is a 919,000-acre expanse of public land in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, established in 1920 to protect the region’s recovering watersheds and timber resources.

Peaking at elevations of more than 4,800 feet at Spruce Knob, the forest encompasses some of the most ecologically diverse terrain in the central Appalachians. Its landscapes include high-elevation spruce, shale barrens, vast bog-and-fen wetland systems, and rugged river gorges carved by the Cheat, Greenbrier, Tygart Valley, and Potomac headwaters.

The forest also contains eight federally designated wilderness areas and supports a broad array of wildlife, including black bears, bobcats, snowshoe hares, and several rare plant and mussel species associated with the region’s cold, fast-flowing streams.

In addition to its conservation value, the Monongahela National Forest is one of West Virginia’s premier outdoor-recreation destinations, drawing hikers, anglers, skiers, climbers, and hunters year-round.

Notable recreation sites in the forest include the Dolly Sods Wilderness, Seneca Rocks, Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, Spruce Knob, and the Williams River Backcountry.

The forest makes a meaningful contribution to local economies through tourism, sustainable timber harvesting, and habitat restoration projects, and it remains central to research on Appalachian ecosystems and climate resilience.

Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the Monongahela continues to balance public access with long-term conservation, preserving some of the Mountain State’s most iconic natural landscapes for future generations.