A brush fire near the intersection of Fisher Ford Road and Nicodemus Church Road destroyed a shop building and threatened several homes on Tuesday.
The Siloam Springs, Gentry, Gallatin and Cincinnati Fire Departments responded to the blaze, according to Travis White, battalion chief for the Siloam Springs Fire Department.
The shop building was already burning and several homes were threatened when the fire departments arrived on scene, White said. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from reaching all other structures in the area, both homes and outbuildings. White estimated that about three acres of wooded land were burned in the fire.
The estimated value of the shop building was $10,000, and the value of the contents, which included a vehicle and lawn mowers, was $30,000.
White said the fire was caused by a resident who put hot ashes from the fireplace outside, which ignited and caused a grass fire. The county issued a burn ban on Tuesday, but the ban didn't affect putting ashes from the fireplace outside, he said. However, the dry windy conditions did help the fire travel through the wooded area, he said.
White said that local homeowners did a great job of using hoses to protect their properties, describing them as good neighbors. He cautioned everyone to pay attention when throwing out ashes from the fireplace to make sure they are not hot.
General News on 01/15/2017