Multiple crews battling wildfire near New River Gorge National Park

FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA) – UPDATE: The West Virginia National Guard has sent a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter with hoist capability to Fayette County to assist in aerial firefighting.

“No matter the need or the danger of the mission, the National Guard will always be there to help the citizens of West Virginia,” said Maj. Gen. Bill Crane, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard.“Our Wheeling-based unit has been training for many years to answer this call and will integrated with our partners in the Division of Forestry and Emergency Management Division to save lives and mitigate damage due to this fire.”

This mission marks the first of its kind for the West Virginia Army National Guard’s aviation crews. The Guard has never been requested to provide aerial support for a wild-land fire in the State of West Virginia’s history.

Multiple crews are battling a fire near the New River Gorge National Park. WVVA confirmed with a park spokesperson that the fire originated on private land. She says structures are threatened. The fire is near Teays Landing which borders the park.

It was reported at around 3 pm Wednesday. Four local volunteer fire department are fighting the fire alongside the National Park Service’s fire crew. Right now around 50 acres of land are being impacted by the fire.

We will continue to monitor the situation.

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