Bellview – A fire that was thought to be under control ended up requiring a call for several fire departments to respond to the scene on Sept. 25.
Taylor Henson and Gold Branch roads off of Blairsville Highway was the scene of a fire that had area residents concerned due to its size and the wind.
At about 10:17 a.m., a local resident alerted another to the fire, which was large and appeared unattended. A small work crew from the N.C. Department of Transportation construction project was on the scene and believed the blaze was under control.
They did however, call the Ranger Volunteer Fire Department and asked that a truck be put on standby. A short time later, DOT officials arrived at the pile of burning wood and instructed that the fire be put out.
As a result, fire departments came the location at 10:31 a.m., and by 10:38 a.m. began aiming hose streams toward the blaze. Fire Marshal Kevin Carter was also at the scene.
The flames were about two stories high, and the area was hot. At least one fire truck left the scene to refill with water before returning again.
Neighbors were in a heightened state of irritation, as they believed in advance that the pile was too large and would be too dangerous to burn – even more so as winds began to pick up. They were also concerned about a residential home close to the fire.
Firefighters from the Bellview, Martins Creek, Murphy and Ranger departments responded to the blaze. At 1:28 p.m., they cleared the scene. Taylor Henson Road was temporarily blocked to traffic and there were no reported injuries.
The following day, and after a night of rain, the pile of wood was still smoldering, with flames visible from different areas along the pile, but not a danger to the public. About 30,000 gallons of water were used to bring the fire under control.