MFC, volunteers battle blaze near power line
Published 5:00 am Thursday, July 13, 2006
A fire near Fairman Lane resulted in a three-hour battle for theMississippi Forestry Commission and area volunteer firemen lateWednesday afternoon.
“The fire itself was standing up five or six feet tall,” saidMississippi Forestry Commission Ranger Clay Thames. “The wind gotin behind it and it was doing a pretty good run.”
The fire burned 10 acres of land, with half of that being in theGrand Gulf power line right of way, said MFC Public OutreachCoordinator Dale Brown.
“The fire was suppressed by the Lincoln County ForestryCommission in conjunction with the volunteer firemen,” Brownsaid.
The fire call came into the forestry commission at 4:24 p.m. andhad been contained by 7:20 p.m, MFC officials said.
“There wasn’t really all that much damage,” Thames said. “Itburnt all the sprayed vegetation and it didn’t do any damage to thelight lines or poles themselves.”
The fire was believed to have been intensified by deadvegetation and herbicide. Brown said areas near power lines androad rights of way are occasionally sprayed to kill vegetation.
“Quiet often that will end up compounding the fuel loading andcreate a situation where fires can more easily start once it hitsthat cured vegetation,” Brown said.
Officials are unsure what caused the fire.
“That is still undetermined,” Thames added.