Firefighters battle several blazes

Local firefighters have been busy the past couple days with four fires in the Tecumseh, Dora and Gainesville areas.

An unoccupied home near Tecumseh owned by Joe Spencer was destroyed Wednesday night in what officials called a suspicious blaze. The home was built by Joe's father in the early 1980s after an F4 tornado had ripped a swath through the Tecumseh area, Spencer said. He said he was fortunate because the home was insured and that nobody was injured in the blaze.

While firefighters were battling that blaze, a partial round bale of hay was discovered burning just west of the Tecumseh bridge in the road ditch. The bale of hay was lost off a truck several weeks before and most of the hay had been recovered. The blaze quickly raced up the hillside into some nearby woods before firefighters could extinguish it.

A grass fire Wednesday evening also threatened a house on CR 804 north of Gainesville.

Gainesville fire chief Ed Doiron said firefighters were able to put the fire out before it reached the home.

Thursday afternoon, as temperatures soared over 100, Dora-area firefighters were called out to a brush fire across from Dora School. No report of that fire has been released.

The state fire marshal is expected to investigate the Tecumseh blazes.

The extremely dry conditions make any kind of outdoor burning a dangerous proposition. County officials say they are considering enacting a countywide ban on outdoor burning. If they do enact such a ban, it will be the first of its kind in Ozark County, according to western district commissioner Greg Donley.

County commissioners are expected to discuss the idea when they meet Monday morning.

<p>This unoccupied Tecumseh home owned by Joe Spencer was destroyed Wednesday evening in one of two fires in that area that officials are calling suspicious.</p>