Illegal burn goes out of control, causes about $500 in damage
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 22, 2016
- Donald Efird, Rockwell Rural Fire Department firefighter, puts out the remnants of a fire at 1390 Holshouser Road in Rockwell on Tuesday. The fire was a result of burning trash illegally. The only things lost in the fire were atv parts, building materials, and lumber, estimated as less than $500 dollars. Allison Lee Isley/Salisbury Post
By Mark Wineka
mark.wineka@salisburypost.com
ROCKWELL — A man burning trash behind a storage shed lost control of the fire, leading to about $500 in damage to scattered ATV parts, lumber and other materials.
The fire happened about 5:10 p.m. at 1390 Holshouser Road, where a mobile home is the primary residence.
“It got out of hand and spread quickly,” Rowan County Forest Ranger David Poole said.
Poole issued a warning ticket to the man burning the trash, citing an escaped fire.
Poole advises anyone burning legally to wear long pants and shoes and have a water hose ready whose length will extend well beyond the fire zone. There has to be adequate means of control, Poole said.
With continued days of hot and dry conditions, Poole said homeowners have to use a lot of caution when burning.
“We’re starting to get pretty dry,” he added.
Alan Shinn, chief of the Rockwell Rural Fire Department, had just left a brush fire call for Bostian Heights when he saw the fire on Holshouser Road. The homeowner was calling 911 as Shinn rolled up.
Several departments and agencies ended up at the scene, including Rockwell Rural, Rockwell City, Gold Hill, the Forest Service, Bostian Heights, Faith, Granite Quarry, the Rowan Rescue Squad and Rowan 911.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.
