By Candice Nelson
WSLS10 Reporter
Published: March 26, 2008

A wildfire in the Raphine area is keeping crews busy. It’s in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest on the border of Rockbridge and Augusta County. Officials say it started around 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Since Tuesday night, the fire has grown. Clara May Johnston works at Shenandoah Stone and has a good view of the fire from her desk.
”Since last night, it’s really gone across the ridge,” Johnston said.
When Johnston goes home in the evening, she can still see the flames outside her window. Even the command station with all the fire officials is in her front yard, where men and woman are working to help stop this fire before it puts any homes in danger. On Wednesday, officials spent time figuring out how to contain the fire and fight it safely. To get a better idea of where the fire is spreading, they rode in helicopters to get an aerial view of the flames. 
Glen Stapleton is the Incident Commander. To him, one of the biggest concerns for the firefighters is the rough terrain.
“One of the things we’re careful not to do is put men and women in those rugged drainages and steep, rocky cliffs,” said Stapleton.
As a result, firefighters may have to back away to safer places like roads and trails to douse the flames.
“We’ve had scouts all morning trying to best determine the best locations to cut off the fire, to actually construct fire lines,” Stapleton said.
As the day went on, the smoke grew even thicker. As of Tuesday night, the fire burned over 200 acres, but they expect the number will be higher after Wednesday. Now, they say nearby homes are safe, which means Johnston can still enjoy the view from her window.
“To see the mountain and the orange glow is one of those beautiful things that terrify you at the same time,” Johnston said.
Officials say they’ll meet Wednesday night to discuss their plan to fight the fire. That’s when they may have more updated information on the total acres burned.