A grass fire is reported at 2408 Lewiston Road. Alabama Fire Department is responding. The location is between Lockport and Knowlesville roads.
UPDATE 3:57 p.m.: East Pembroke Fire Department's grass truck is requested to the scene.
UPDATE 4:05 p.m.: Manpower and an engine out of Oakfield are requested. Also, they have called for mutual aid from Wolcottsville, in Niagara County. "It's up into the woods pretty good," says a firefighter at the scene.
UPDATE 4:08 p.m.: Some of the flames are heading toward a barn. "All the fire is up at the west end here." In one section, as soon as a firefighter beats down the flames, they are said to come back twice as big.
UPDATE 4:20 p.m.: They seem to be making progress on fighting the blaze and it is contained in some places. They are going to concentrate on the north edge of the fire now.
UPDATE 4:23 p.m.: Some firefighters say they are "all set" and they are going to start picking up their water lines. But there's still a 7- to 8-foot swath of fire that's moving northward.
UPDATE 4:27 p.m.: "The fire's been extinguished." They are checking the perimeter one last time.
UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: A fire engine from Elba also responded and is now back in service.
UPDATE 4:52 p.m.: Wolcottsville responders are thanked and released from the assignment. Others at the scene are filling up tanks and otherwise breaking down and preparing to leave.
There have been an awful lot
There have been an awful lot of fires lately and it hasn't gone unnoticed that people were griping about the no-burn regulations just last week. I'm not for big government and also believe that we should be able to do as we please on our own property, within reason. That being said, I also know some people are inclined to complain about absolutely anything just because they can. DWI checkpoints and "no brush burning" orders don't kill; drunk drivers and fires grown out of control do.
I'm glad that no one was injured and thankful that we still have men and women who volunteer to fight fires. What would we do without our volunteer firefighters?