Mainly, you can prevent brush fires
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Firefighters from North Union Township and West Leisenring work to extinguish a brush fire that burned a wooded area along Cottage Avenue in Lemont Furnace recently.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
West Leisenring volunteer firefighter Patrick Kelly wets down an area along Cottage Avenue in Lemont Furnace burned by a recent brush fire.
A cigarette flicked into the wind onto a dry field.
Or someone who carelessly leaves a controlled burn — a trash fire — unattended that spreads like a wild fire across a field.
South Union Township fire Chief Rick McCormick said those are just two examples of things that can cause brush fires. He said in recent weeks, area fire departments have battled many fires across several acres throughout Fayette County.
“Cigarettes — yes — but most of our problems come from burning trash,” he said. “I’d say three of the last five fires we’ve had came from careless people burning trash — not tending to it. A couple of people were bringing old mattresses out. They get a little fire going and then they walk away. With as dry as it has been, these fires get away from them.”
McCormick recalls one recent fire that took more than three hours to extinguish near Laurel Highlands Nursery in Continental 2.
“That fire burned at least 10 acres that day,” he said.
McCormick said there have been more brush fires this spring because of the long winter which left a lot places with dried vegetation such as leaves or perhaps cattails — those brown, stalked plants that grow around wetlands. He said their tips dry out, so they can be more flammable given the right weather conditions. And up until this week’s rainstorms, he said, the weather has been dry and windy.
“The reason we’ve had more fires is mostly the weather,” McCormick said. “Before we had this rain this last week or so to begin turning things green, everything was pretty dry from the winter when nothing grows. With these people burning and not watching, the winds cut through these high weeds. A fire can cross a field in a matter of minutes.”
McCormick explained that the fires don’t necessarily have to touch the ground to spread across a field within minutes. He said when a spark ignites a dry patch, the flames can spread through the tops of the dried grass or cornstalks, maybe even vines.
“It doesn’t have to burn against the ground,” he said. “If it catches against the top with the wind, it’ll just scoot right across.”
McCormick recalled how firefighters had to battle a blaze burning a tall tree, not at its base, but 28 feet in the air. He said when the wind blew sparks to vines attached to the tree, the fire spread up, not down.
“The only solution to that? Cut the trees down to get to the fires,” he said.
McCormick said among the dangers associated with such fires is that they will spread to a structure, perhaps homes where people live. Also, he said, firefighters walking in the often untamed terrain do not necessarily have the best footing, so falls may result in injury. He said these fires are not fought any different than they would be if a house was on fire — with water.
“The danger of it is the terrain that is burning,” he said. “A lot of times it might be areas that shouldn’t burn, but it’s the swampy areas where you have cattails. They’ll burn quick. With the hillsides, you have runoff water along with erosion in the soil. This is all under the brush, you can’t see it a lot of times. Firefighters can get leg or ankle injuries.”
A veteran firefighter, McCormick has been fighting fires for 36 years. The worst brush fire he can recall happened about 10 years ago along a hillside in the Hopwood area.
“We assisted in Hopwood with one that was going up the side of a mountain,” he said. “We were out there probably at least eight hours.”
McCormick’s word of warning, “Dry conditions and longer winter, yes, but also careless people” all contribute to brush fires that are can be prevented.