03/March/2018 – Field and Barn Fire – “C” Shift

Incident # 18-01536 – A field fire got out of hand and extended to a barn and shed behind 2194 Cooler Dairy Road Saturday afternoon 03-March at 15:15. Engine 19 arrived to find the older 40 by 40 wooden barn fully involved and a shed near the barn also well involved. A fast moving grass fire was also burning threatening a residence and a vehicle. Firefighters deployed one 2-1/2 handline and two 1-3/4 handlines to combat the fire and protect the exposures. The grass fire was quickly contained and crews worked for 30 minutes to bring the barn fire under control. The building had a heavy fire load, continuing tools, building products, many farm implements, a tractor and general farm type storage materials. Other crews used rake and back packs to extinguish the remaining field fire. The barn and its contents were destroyed. The adjacent shed also received heavy damage. Firefighters kept the flames from reaching the residence, two other storage buildings and an old wooden building on the property. No injuries were reported. Water supply was conducted with Tenders.

Engine 1, Engine 9, Engine 19, Tender 1, Tender 9, Tender 19, Tender 90, Battalion 1, Car 112 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Chris Jones served as Incident Commander.

Several grass and woods fires in the County kept firefighters busy throughout the day and early evening Saturday. Among those was a woods fire on Zion Road near Merrick Drive. A woods fire on Hudson Mill Road west of Penny Creek Dr. endangered one home but was contained by fire crews and a Forestry Tractor. A large woods fire on Bells Hwy west of Jones Swamp Road closed Bells Hwy. for 1-1/2 hours. Firefighters and Law Enforcement detoured traffic to Ruffin Road while multiple fire units and two Forestry Tractors worked the fire. A woods fire also endangered several homes on Opal Street off of Dandridge Road and Fire units with the Forestry Commission were tied up for several hours on Wood Stream Lane in the White Hall area with a large woods fire Saturday evening.