Rain helps contain wildfires in Virginias Shenandoah Valley NBC4 Washington [Video]

Crews who have been battling still-burning wildfires in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley this week have gotten an assist from rain and from the state government, which has deployed new resources to the area, officials said Saturday.

“Without a doubt the rain is helping” said Cory Swift, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Forestry, who added the agency had no reports of injuries or fatalities connected with the fires, which sprang up mid-week amid gusty winds and low relative humidity.

The fires led to trail shutdowns in the Shenandoah National Park, a smattering of evacuation orders, school closures in at least one hard-hit county, and damage to structures, the full extent of which was not yet clear.

Containment increases had been reported as of 9 a.m. Saturday on the fires that are part of the so-called Luray Complex, which are burning on a mix of private and national Forest Service land …