Published: February 19, 2009 01:37 pm      

Firefighters fight fast flames

Latta — Nervous residents stood by as firefighters battled out-of-control wildfires in Latta Wednesday.

Ada firefighters responded to a grass fire at the west end of County Road 1555. After sizing up the fire, Ada called for help from Pickett and Oil Center fire departments.

Firefighters concentrated on the front line of the fast-moving fire, which was headed south along side a neighborhood. Ada Engine 10 parked at the end of C.R. 1555 to help in case structures were threatened.

“We had to send a pumper out there and they called for additional units,” Ada Assistant Chief Rob Johnson said. “As soon as they got to the scene, they called for exposure protection. They had houses that were close. We’ll sit by that house to protect it until (the fire) passes by or we get it put out in that area.”

With dry conditions and gusty multi-directional winds, the fire flared up on the back side and headed straight for a house owned by Henry and Evelyn Thompson. Firefighters were forced to drive Engine 10 into a danger zone to stop the raging flames.

Firefighters charged the line on foot and put their lives in harm’s way to stop the blaze before it reached Thompson’s home. They knocked the fire down and turned to stop a line of fire which was headed straight for Engine 10.

Thompson joined firefighters with a garden hose to assist after the flames died down a bit. As firefighters were battling that blaze, a call came in for another fire west of Latta School.

Firefighters from Fitzhugh, Union Valley, Pickett and Bureau of Indian Affairs battled that blaze and were able to get it under control before it threatened any structures.

The blaze did burn many hay bales scattered through the field. Firefighters used hand tools to break the bales apart and let them burn down before putting water on them.

Johnson said the first fire was a controlled burn by a landowner which got out of control and tall dry grass helped fuel the fire.

“It’s really dry,” Johnson said. “That burn ban ought to stay in effect from now until it greens up. There was plenty of fuel on the ground. Everything is just dry.

“Even if we get rain, all that wind’s got to do is blow a little bit and it dries that dead grass right back out,” Johnson continued.

“People get a false sense of security when it rains and think it’s going to be okay, but we’ve had to fight grass fires in standing water before.”

Johnson said although firefighters got a bit of a tan from the intense heat, no one suffered any injuries.

“They worked pretty hard, but they’re all okay,” Johnson said. “We’re getting our trucks cleaned up and getting ready to go again.”