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Franklin County fire contained, crews to continue conducting fire watch

All units will reconvene in Friday morning to verify containment, according to officials

FRANKLIN CO., Va. Update - 8:40 p.m.

According to Franklin County Fire and EMS the fire in Franklin County has been contained, but crews will still be conducting fire watch.

10 News has also learned that the Virginia Department of Forestry is off the scene for the night and all units will reconvene in the morning to verify containment.

10 News will continue to update this story as information becomes available.


Update - 9:45 a.m.

Crews are making progress in containing a Franklin County brush fire that they’ve been fighting since Wednesday afternoon, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said the western flank of the fire is now fully contained, and firefighters are now focusing their efforts on the fire line on the eastern flank, which is currently 50% contained.

At this time, new fire lines are being cut to improve containment and prevent the fire from spreading further.

The size is still at 400 acres, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Several agencies have joined forces to battle the blaze, including Franklin County Fire and EMS, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Department of Forestry, Roanoke County Fire, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.


Update:

Command Personnel on the scene of the Franklin County brush fire held a briefing at 8 p.m. Wednesday night and said that the fire is estimated to cover roughly 400-450 acres in the Wades Gap area.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the gusty winds overnight remain a concern but crews will be on scene throughout the night and that the outlook Thursday is favorable for continued containment of any active fires and additional resources will be available throughout the remainder of the event.

Officials told 10 News that two firefighters were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The office also said that the critical addresses with homes and other structures have been identified and preventative fire apparatus' are staged in those areas

“The mandatory evacuation order will be lifted effective 8:30 pm but we want to stress to those in the area to be aware and alert through the night for changing conditions. Code Red alerts will be sent out if another evacuation order comes through, as well as updates to local news media outlets. The gusty winds could make for a challenging night ahead but rest assured that the Fire and Forestry Professionals on scene are working tirelessly to protect life and property in the area,” The FRCO Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“We heard about the fire, and us being local residents, you know we were concerned. It’s unfortunately gotten some of our families' houses and we’re really praying for them and making sure everything’s okay and making sure it doesn’t spread any further with our family,” Shane Hodges, a local resident, said.

The containment of the fire remains unknown at this time.

10 News will continue to update the story as information as news becomes available.


Update:

A code red message has now been sent to all residents within a 5-mile radius of Wades Gap and Webster Corner Roads.

Franklin County public safety is asking all residents on Wades Gap above Webster Corner Road to evacuate at this time, a shelter will be set up at Monte Vista Church of the Brethren at 25 Wades Gap Road for those who need assistance.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said that multiple homes and land in the area is affected.

According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, the fire is 50 acres.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office released the following statement at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday evening:

Franklin County Fire and EMS is estimating at least 50 acres involved in the fire. The Forestry Department and local fire agencies are working hard to combat this fire and protect both life and property the best that they can.

We are not able to update on a containment level at this point; It is still a very active, large scene and Fire Professionals are making progress.

Please bear with the Franklin County Fire EMS and Franklin County, VA, as well as the Office of the Sheriff, with getting information out to the community. The service in the area is very spotty and we are going to do our best to provide updates in a timely manner!

Franklin County Sheriff's Office

Crews are currently on the scene of two brush fires in Franklin County. The first fire is at the intersection of Wades Gap and Webster Corner Road, the Department of Fire Safety has been sent to the location of a fire that 10 News has been told is spreading.

The second is at the intersection of Windy Ridge and Virgil Good, and no injuries have been reported at either of the fire sites at this time.

Roanoke County is on the scene assisting with the fires and according to the Department of Fire Safety, a code red message was sent to a 3-mile radius of the intersection of Wades Gap and Webster.

10 News is on the scene and will continue to update the story as information becomes available.


About the Authors
Duncan Weigand headshot

Duncan Weigand joined WSLS 10’s digital team in June 2024, weeks after graduating from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s in communication studying multimedia journalism and a cognate in marketing.

Jason Freund headshot

Jason Freund is a Multimedia Journalist with WSLS 10 who had spent two and half years reporting in West Texas before moving to Roanoke in January 2025.