Firefighters busy with uptick in brush, other blazes across the county
Photo above, left: Pontiac/Price Place fire chief Khristie Jacquin and assistant chief Joe Bator fought a dozer fire at the corner of County Road 628 and Highway W Monday evening. Photo above, right: A few hours before, Bakersfield firefighter Zach Fowler, left, and Tecumseh firefighter Johnathan Winrod, right, responded with about a dozen other firelighters to a roadside brush fire on PP Highway Monday afternoon.
A soaking rain and impending winter precipitation hopefully will help ease dry conditions that have sparked a number of brush and grass fires recently in Ozark County.
Even with the rain, the temperatures are bound to pop back up and with gusty late winter winds and lower humidity, the threat of brush fires is a common one this time of year in the Ozarks.
In the past two weeks several brush fires have been reported in the county, with the most recent one being on Monday just off PP Highway north of Dawt.
The fire was called in shortly after lunchtime and burned 4-6 acres about a mile and a half south of the junction of PP Highway and H Highway.
About a dozen firefighters and five or six brush trucks got the fire under control quickly, in spite of gusty winds and thick, dead grass and underbrush.
Dora Fire Chief Monte Shipley told the Times that they were not sure how the fire started. “It started along the road there so we’re not sure if it was someone who tossed a cigarette or maybe somebody was dragging a chain … you never know what can start these fires sometimes.”
Fire officials say that, even though the area received a decent rain in the last week and more rain is predicted this week, fire danger this time of year resurfaces quickly.
“What people don’t realize is that, even though the ground is wet or muddy, dead grass and brush dries out real quick on these warm and windy days,” said Gainesville fire chief Ed Doiron.
“It’s just not a good idea to be burning on days like this,” Doiron said. He said even welding or grinding outside on warm and windy days this time of year can spark a fire.
Shipley said his department has been busier than usual with brush fires including one on Feb. 19 on county roads 365 and 368 that started with an apparent electrical short in a well house.
Shipley said that fire destroyed a barn and burned about 2 acres. “We were able to knock it away from a house on the property,” Shipley said.
Since Feb. 13, fire officials in the county have responded to 10 fires, including:
• Feb. 13, brush fire on D Highway near Thornfield.
• Feb. 13, brush fire in Isabella.
• Feb. 13, brush fire on Chamberlain Hill in Bakersfield.
• Feb. 14, brush fire on County Road 619 in Theodosia
• Feb. 15, brush fire in Thornfield
• Feb. 16, brush fire on County Road 137 near Wasola
• Feb. 16, brush fire on KK Highway near Pottersville
• Feb. 19, brush and barn fire near Dora on County Road 365.
• Feb. 21, brush fire on PP Highway.