Wildfire in Virginia, November 1 to 12, 2000

A record breaking 45 day period with no measurable rainfall in combination with newly fallen leaves resulted in high fire danger in Shenandoah National Park. Two small fires presumably started by humans on the 29th of October benefitted from ideal burn conditions and rapidly spread. These fires eventually combined into the largest fire in Shenandoah National Park history. The original fires started at Pinnacles just south of Route 211 and on Old Rag Mountain. By November 5th, the two fires had combined into the 12,000 acre "Shenandoah Complex" fire and were burning around Skyline Drive in Page, Rappahannock, and Madison Counties. By November 9th, the fire had burned 22,000 acres and was 80% contained. The blaze was 100% contained on November 12th after it had burned a total of 24,197 acres. About 880 firefighters were involved in blaze control and the total cost to fight the fire was estimated at $3.6 million. The fires came within a mile of a few homes and voluntary evacuations took place, but no homes were damaged by the flames. All but 5% of the fire was within the park boundary. The fire resulted in the closure of Skyline Drive between Thornton Gap and the north entrance at Skyland. Numerous other hiking trails including the Appalachian Trail between Route 211 and Skyland were also closed. Before this event, the largest fire in Shenandoah National Park was 4,475 acres on May 2, 1986.