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Multiple Fire Crews Respond To Brush Fire East Of Athens
< < Back to strouds-runA brush fire on Scatter Ridge Road near Strouds Run left a smokey haze in the air after four fire stations fought to put it out.
Amesville firefighters arrived on the scene at around 1:30 after receiving a 911 notification.
The firefighters were not on the scene long before they called in for backup.
"As soon as we found out the size of the fire and that there were structures involved, we immediately called for Richland Area Fire Department to back us," said Amesville Fire Captain Dan Dolada.
Shortly after, Rome and Wayne National Forest fire departments also arrived on the scene to help extinguish the flames.
"Our first concern [was] to make sure the houses were safe," Dolada said."Second was to make sure it didn't get across the road and into the rather large amount of terrain there."
According Dolada, the source of the fire came from a resident who lost control while burning brush in her yard.
"This time of year we always expect a fair number of fires because people don't realize just how quickly [burning fires] can get away from them."
Dolada says that the firefighters fought the worst of the flames in 45 minutes, taking the rest of the time to "mop up" the remaining blazes.
Athens Resident Mike Rex lives across the street from the site of the brush fire and came to the scene to make sure it didn't spread to his home.
"I've lived back here for 20 years and I've never seen a fire this big," Rex said. "When I first saw it basically that whole field was on fire."
Rex also expressed concern about the wind, stating that if it picked up it could potentially carry the fire toward the Wayne National Forest.
His concerns proved valid when a dead tree near Rex and his wife's home caught on fire.
Firefighters rushed to put it out, eventually knocking down the stump and extinguishing the flame.
To avoid starting fires during this dry season, Captain Dolada gave some advice:
"Make sure that you have means of extinguishment… Call 911 at the first sign that you think it might be a problem. We'd rather get called and cancelled in-route than have the fire get really large and destroy somebody's home."
No injuries were reported.