After a dry winter and with a warming spring, the entire state of Missouri is at risk of hazardous fires.
“We are entering the spring fire season,” Gravois Fire Protection District, GFPD, Fire Chief Ed Hancock warned. “Temperatures are up and humidity is down and with the high winds we have been experiencing it is hard to bring large fires under control. These types of fires require a lot of resources to put out and there is also a danger of the fire rekindling. When we have multiple fires like this, our resources, and those of our mutual aid partners, become stretched.”
Last week, Gravois Firefighters were kept busy by the dangerous conditions. GFPD firefighters were called to a natural cover fire at 1:49 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22 to Forrest Drive in Gravois Mills. According to Chief Hancock, structures were threatened, but not harmed. Approximately one acre was destroyed by fire, no one was injured in the fire.
While en-route to this fire, the district diverted a portion of their crew to a motor vehicle crash where a car hit a tree and caught fire. The victim was able to self-extricate and was transported to by ambulance to the hospital with injuries.
On Thursday, Feb. 25, at 1:24 p.m. the district was called to a natural cover fire on Peter Pan Drive in Gravois Mills. That fire destroyed five acres. Hancock said the fire was ignited by sparks from the welder of a worker putting in fence corner posts.
Rocky Mount Fire Protection District, RMFPD, firefighters were toned out at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28 to Red Arrow and Red Road in Rocky Mount, in Morgan County. A gentleman was burning trash when high winds picked up flames and set the woods on fire. According to RMFPD Fire Chief Kevin Hurtubise, the property owner was overcome by smoke as he was trying to put the fire out. Arriving firefighters had to first administer first aid the man, before putting resources on the fire.
One structure was threatened. “Fortunately the wind cooperated and pushed the fire away from the populated area,” Chief Hurtubise said. Firefighters established fire lines with rakes and blowers and put the fire out in approximately 3.5 hours. One firefighter, stuck in the thick of the flames and smoke, was overcome with slight smoke inhalation and was treated and released at the scene. No structures burned. RMFPD responded with 11 firefighters and three apparatus. Lake Ozark Fire Protection District provided mutual aid with two firefighters and one apparatus.
GFPD firefighters were also toned out at 10:50 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28 to investigate a natural cover fire. That incident was a controlled burn, requiring no action.
“I look for us to be busy until the spring rains and everything gets green,” Chief Hancock said.
“We are in the middle of fire season. We require citizens: do not burn,” he warned. Even if there is no severe fire hazard warning, Chief Hancock recommends not burning in high winds and low humidity.
According to Chief Hancock, if a person is negligent and knowingly sets a fire, or allows a fire to burn unattended, and that fire damages someone's property, or physically harms someone, the person who set the fire is liable. “This would be more than civil, they could be looking at a legal issue,” Chief Hancock advised.
