Fire crews from Georgetown, Royal Center and Logansport were called to a trash fire that blew out of control Tuesday afternoon near 400W and U.S. 24.
Logansport Fire Capt. Chris Cover reported the blaze spread to nearly 200 acres of hilly terrain, including some wooded areas and dense brush before being extinguished.
“We got the call at 1:30, and we went to another fire after that,” Cover said. “In total, it took about three hours to put out. It wasn’t easy.”
LFD ladderman Rick Bair, who was on the scene, said the fire spread quickly across very dry ground.
“The field was on fire mostly, but it jumped the fence and went into the woods,” Bair said. “It is so hilly here you can’t get much access to it, so we called Georgetown and Royal Center to get their grass trucks here.”
The fire reportedly spread from a controlled burn of trash and grass cuttings at the back of a residence at 4018 W. U.S. 24.
Cover said the department received a call from the property owner and found him fighting the fire by himself when they arrived.
Donald Hatton said his wife called him at work about the fire. He said a large gust of wind from the south re-ignited a small controlled fire that his wife had set earlier in the day and thought was extinguished.
“She thought it was out, but the wind picked up and away it went,” Hatton said.
Cover said fire crews found reaching burning areas difficult.
“We couldn’t get trucks into the area so the guys had to use the fire brooms,” Cover said. “They used the brooms to stomp the fire out.”
He added that water from Logansport’s 2,500-gallon and Georgetown’s 3,500-gallon trucks was enough to extinguish the fire.
“We didn’t have to shuttle water,” he said.
Mike McGovern, a volunteer Royal Center firefighter, and the owner of a Royal Center tavern, said he was preparing for St. Patrick’s Day festivities when he got the fire call about 3:30 p.m.
After assisting with extinguishing the fire, McGovern and other Royal Center crew members continued to check for hot spots on the hills to make sure the fire would not re-ignite and spread to the adjacent woods.
He advised area residents against controlled burns at this time of year.
“People think they can burn off stuff but the ground is too dry, it keeps getting away from them,” McGovern said. “It is a bad day to be burning stuff off especially with the woods and trees right there.”
Logansport firefighters responded to three other grass fires Tuesday, and Cover urged the public to watch weather conditions before burning anything in the county.
“The ground is still dead from the winter,” Cover said. “The ground hasn’t had the moisture to be green yet. The rain that we had last week was so heavy that it just ran off.”
He urged residents to check the weather conditions.
“Today was a windy day,” he said. “When burning, you need to stay with the fire to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand and to keep an eye on the wind.”
Kevin Smith can be contacted at (574) 732-5148 or via e-mail at kevin.smith@pharostribune.com
Local News
Related Photos
-
ON THE LOOKOUT: Royal Center firefighter Mike McGovern searches for hot spots in the field fire that spread throughout 200 acres of hilly terrain west of Logansport on Tuesday. P-T photo | Kevin Lilly
-
ON THE LOOKOUT: Royal Center firefighter Mike McGovern searches for hot spots in the field fire that spread throughout 200 acres of hilly terrain west of Logansport on Tuesday. P-T photo | Kevin Lilly
Discussion
Trash fire blows out of control
<b>Fire spreads through 200 acres of hilly terrain</b>
- Local News
-
-
No jail for driver in fatal hit-and-run
A 25-year-old Logansport man admitted Thursday to leaving the scene of a deadly wreck last year, but he will not serve any time in jail as the result of a plea agreement.
-
Board backs 51 percent spike in utility rates
For Paul Hartman, the issue facing the Logansport Stormwater Management Board is pretty simple.
-
13-foot statue celebrating arts to stand in Logan
Logan’s Landing danced a little closer Thursday to sprucing up the downtown area and crafting the arts and design district it’s been longing to create.
-
Stormwater board OKs rate increase
The Logansport Stormwater Management Board this morning approved a 51 percent increase in its monthly rates.
-
LHS senior prank
As a senior prank, Logansport High School students moved the cow from in front of Happy Burger West to the Berry Bowl this morning. It was all in good fun, though. Bob Shanks, the owner of Happy Burger, was even on hand to pose for pictures.
-
‘It’s not about you’: Local mom shares journey of adopting foster children
Foster parenting isn’t always easy, says Juanita Jackson. Between caseworker visits and baby-sitting restrictions, the 42-year-old balances work and caring for five children as a single mom.
-
Longtime Lewis Cass teacher fired over license
Notwithstanding the impassioned pleas on Scott Rouch’s behalf, the Southeastern school board unanimously voted to cancel his teaching contract for “neglect of duty and other just causes.”
-
Jeremy Franklin charged with two felonies
A special prosecutor this week filed three charges, including two felony counts, against the son of the Logansport mayor.
-
Logan multiplex still in the works
Plans for a multiplex in Logansport are still in the works, but at least one city official hoped the process would move a bit quicker.
-
Ambulances moving: Hospital says change will save $200,000
Rural/Metro, Cass County’s newest ambulance service, told Logansport Memorial Hospital that it plans to move out of the ambulance garage at the end of its lease in September.
- More Local News Headlines
-
No jail for driver in fatal hit-and-run
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
