Opelika fire consumes 4.5 acres
By Nathan Straus News Reporter

Volunteer fire fighters patrol the ranch grounds for embers, dousing any they find. Nathan Straus Photo

The Brownsboro Volunteer Fire Department responded to a grass fire call Monday, December 31, at about 10:20 am. The fire, which started at a ranch behind Opelika Missionary Baptist Church on CR 3520, ate four and a half acres of land before the fire department doused it.

Russell Kuhns, volunteer fire fighter for the department, said the land owner was fortunate the wind was blowing east at the time of the fire.

"The structures would have been in danger had this not been the case," Kuhns said.

Kuhns also said the fire apparently began when the wind blew burning trash out of a burn barrel being used on the property.

Scott Williams, ranch owner, said he put the call out when the fire had spread to about one and a half acres past the burn barrel.

The fire department responded quickly and with several trucks, and put out the fire before it had a chance to spread into the forest beyond.

Kuhns said if the fire had gotten into the trees, the department would only have had two options. If the forest was shallow, the fire fighters would have been able to cross to the other side and fight the flames from both sides. If the forest proved too deep then the forester service would have been called.

"They'd call in a bulldozer to do a 10-15 foot swathe," Kuhns said. "It'd knock down trees and everything in that area."

Kuhns added he hadn't heard of this act being done throughout 2007.

The fire was nothing but burnt grass at around 10:40 am.

Williams said he was thankful for the fire department's arrival.

"I'm glad they came out, I really appreciate them," Williams said.

Williams also said there is no official burn ban for Henderson County, but that there needs to be to prevent more incidents like this one.