Brush fires spark in county
Brush fires spark in county
23 February 2011
published by www.peoplesdefender.com
USA — It’s one of the not so nice heralds of the spring season – brush fire. A rash of such fires occurred while conditions were dry and warm on Friday and Saturday.
A firefighter battles a brush fire on Mineral Springs Road.
– Kaiajade/The Peoples Defender
A brush truck crawls along while a firefighter sprays
down burning hay bales along the edge of a brush fire
on Cedar Run Road. – Kaiajade/The Peoples Defender
“We want people to be aware of the dry conditions this time of year,” Peebles Fire Chief Mike Estep said Tuesday. “The dead grasses and leaves from the fall of the year dry out faster than the ground. With the combination of warm weather, high winds and sunny days the vegetation dries out fast.
“We are heading into the spring fire season,” he continued. “No burning of any kind is permitted in Ohio between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. in March, April and May. Caution should be used at all times with burning of any kind of debris that is legal to burn. All citizens need to be aware of when and what they can burn legally.”
Estep said to be sure of the law before burning, contact the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency at 800-686-7330; Shawnee State Forest at (740) 858-6685; Portsmouth Local Air Authority at (740) 353-5156, ext. 3; or your local fire chief.
On Friday, the Peebles Fire Department responded to fires on Inlow Avenue and Shaker Run Road, while the West Union Fire Department responded to one on Cedar Run Road. On Inlow Avenue, burning debris spread into a field, burning between one and two acres, and caught a barn on fire. It also exposed a car, lawn mowers and a camper top to fire damage.
A small section of land was burned on Shaker Run Road when someone cleaned out a wood stove and dumped the ashes. The fire started from an ember in the ashes.
Several acres burned on Cedar Run Road.
On Saturday, approximately two acres burned on Mineral Springs Road and between one and two acres burned on Monterey Drive.
Source: http://www.peoplesdefender.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=83&ArticleID=132900
