Connect with us

Virginia

West Virginia fire departments brace for high risk of wildfires this fall

Published

on

West Virginia fire departments brace for high risk of wildfires this fall


MOOREFIELD, Wv. (WHSV) – Six months after wildfires spread across the Shenandoah Valley and West Virginia, the Mountain State is preparing for a fall season with a high risk of more wildfires due to dry conditions.

Moorefield Volunteer Fire Company Chief Doug Mongold said some counties in southern West Virginia already have burn bans in place, and he expects more counties to follow suit.

“I think the biggest fear now is because it’s been such a dry summer, and it looks like to me it’s going to be an early fall, the leaves are already falling from the trees,” Mongold said. “That’s a big problem with leaves falling already — that just increases the fire fuel if there is a fire.”

Mongold said he encourages people around West Virginia not to burn unless they absolutely have to.

Advertisement

“If they don’t have to burn, just don’t burn at all. If you have to burn with a campfire or whatever, just make sure you have the perimeter around it cleared and you have water there in case something does go wrong,” Mongold said. “If you have any fire at all, call the fire department and at least get them started, because the sooner you catch [it] the better chance you have of putting it out. So, just be diligent in doing those things.”

Beyond raising awareness and encouraging fire safety, Mongold said there is not much local fire departments can do to prepare for possible fall wildfires. However, he said there are now more resources available on the state level.

“On the state level, it appears that they’ve been doing some stuff and came up with some money. Now I see that State Forestry has dozers and some new side-by-sides with firefighting equipment on the back, such as tanks and hose reels and that kind of stuff,” Mongold said.

While volunteer numbers around the nation have declined for volunteer fire companies Mongold said that Moorefield has been fortunate to maintain a good number of volunteers.

“We still have a good number of people compared to a lot of departments, but when you get on a fire that’s a couple days long, you deplete those very quickly because those people still have to work and that kind of stuff. So, it gets a little tough sometimes,” he said.

Advertisement

Nevertheless, Mongold said fire departments around the region and state agencies did learn from the wildfires in the spring.

“I think there could be better communication between all the agencies involved, whether it’s the state forestry, the state office of emergency management and the 911 centers,” Mongold said. “We were wanting satellite view maps of the area so you can see ‘Maybe we can go in over here.’ We’ll be better prepared if it happens again. We’ve got better resources to get those kinds of things, but working together and communicating better will definitely help that.”

Mongold stressed that if you see any smoke or signs of fire, make sure to call 911.



Source link

Advertisement

Virginia

Harrisburg’s Kevin Brown makes legacy commitment official to West Virginia

Published

on

Harrisburg’s Kevin Brown makes legacy commitment official to West Virginia


Kevin Brown’s recruitment was supposed to be settled last summer.

But for the Harrisburg star, fate intervened, and now the blue-chip offensive lineman has officially signed to play at a place that always made sense: his father’s alma mater of West Virginia.

Brown just wrapped up his senior season at Harrisburg, playing two ways to lead the Cougars to their fourth consecutive state semifinal, and now will head to Morgantown to lead a stellar WVU recruiting class.

“It’s surreal,” Brown said after he first announced his decision. “I still haven’t taken it all in.”

Advertisement

Maybe the dust has settled a little bit for the 6-foot-5, 270-pound lineman who ranks as the No. 122 player in the nation per 247.

And with his presence, the WVU recruiting class for 2026 has bolted all the way up to No. 31 in the nation, sitting ahead of schools like Mississippi State, Arizona, Pittsburgh and more.

Brown will be joining that group of Mountaineers in Morgantown, where he will wear the same uniform his father, Tim, wore from 1999 to 2004, playing for the same head football coach in Rich Rodriguez.

“I’m super excited to get on that uniform and be burning couches every Saturday with Rich Rod and my dad,” Brown said.

Listen to the Pa. High School Football Report podcast

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Virginia

Raccoon passes out on Virginia liquor store bathroom floor after drunken rampage

Published

on

Raccoon passes out on Virginia liquor store bathroom floor after drunken rampage


The masked burglar broke into the closed Virginia liquor store early on Saturday and hit the bottom shelf, where the scotch and whisky were stored. The bandit was something of a nocturnal menace: bottles were smashed, a ceiling tile collapsed and alcohol pooled on the floor.

The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he’s a raccoon.

On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.

“I personally like raccoons,” said Samantha Martin, an officer who works at the local animal control. “They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”

Advertisement

Martin said she took the raccoon back to the animal shelter, though she had her fair share of giggles along the way.

“Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess,” she said.

Raccoons are common in Virginia, according to the state’s Department of Wildlife Resources. They are found in forests, parks and sometimes in cities — and apparently, at a liquor store.

The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter commended Martin for handling the break-in, and confirmed the raccoon had sobered up.

“After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices), he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” the agency said.

Advertisement

It’s not the first time this year that a raccoon was found in a place where it shouldn’t have been. In May, a raccoon was found with a glass methamphetamine pipe in its mouth and was sitting in the driver’s seat of a car in Ohio.

The vehicle was pulled over because its registered owner had an active warrant and a suspended driver’s license, the Springfield Township Police Department said.



Source link

Continue Reading

Virginia

New shipping container bar-restaurant Virginia Transit Co. taking shape in Richmond

Published

on

New shipping container bar-restaurant Virginia Transit Co. taking shape in Richmond


RICHMOND, Va. — Another food and beverage venue fashioned from shipping containers is taking shape in Richmond, this time near the Sauer Center courtesy of a D.C. restaurant group.

The Virginia Transit Co., or Vitco as its founders John Groth, Arturo Zaloga and Matt Weaver refer to it, will be a bar, restaurant and event space constructed mostly out of dozen shipping containers on a vacant parcel at 1010 N. Meadow St.

Vitco is the second concept for Groth, Zaloga and Weaver, who in 2021 opened Metrobar, a similar concept in D.C. that’s anchored by a 75-foot-long former Washington Metro car that they repurposed into a restaurant and bar. For their Richmond venture, they’re incorporating a decommissioned streetcar. Click here to continue reading on Richmond BizSense.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending