Fire blazes through Campbell Ranch
On Wed., Jan. 14, a grass fire occurred at Campbell (Lewis) Ranch located off Hwy 1768. Olney Volunteer fireman Jason Pack shared details as one of many volunteer firefighters from five different fire stations who extinguished the flames that burned 320 acres of grass.
“The fire started on the north side of the road, and due to the wet terrain, it was tough to fight, and the wind took it away from us,” Pack said. “The terrain made it hard for us to get around. We were stuck. I got stuck three different times. We had two other trucks that got stuck, and we had to call dozers to help us out of the mud.”
Pack confirmed that the Olney Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD) had help from four other fire stations that included Loving, Megargel, Newcastle, and Graham and the assistance received from others.
“The county brought a water tender over for us to have extra water. The forestry service brought in two dozers and some ground crews. We had a total of five or six dozers,” Pack added.
In a time of crisis, businesses in the community pitch in to assist. Pack said Air Tractor dumped a few loads of water to help out from the air, but the wind was so harsh, they tried to help as much as they could. Also, Ronnie Griffin, owner of Olney Auto Tire & Truck Service, said they had a truck on-site because they handle the fire trucks’ maintenance.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), “brush, grass and forest fires account for almost 25 percent of the fires that are handled by local fire departments. Human activities cause most of these types of fires with leading causes including open burning of waste, smoking materials and electrical power or utility lines.”
The possible cause of the grass fire at Campbell Ranch could have been electrical Pack explained.
“It could have possibly been started around an electric pole area. When we have high winds like that, it can blow those electric wires, and the wires could have touched together. It could have been any number of things,” Pack said.
Although grass fires are considered dangerous and can travel up to 15 m.p.h., the Campbell Ranch fire did not harm people or structural property.
“Nobody was hurt, and no structures were lost. The fire occurred strictly in the field. It just burned grass from one side, jumped the highway, and ran across the pasture, and it jumped another dirt road. And we were able to catch it in the trees on the other side,” Pack stated.
Firefighters toiled with the fire for more than five hours to ensure the residents’ safety. Find out how you can help the local volunteer fire department by visiting facebook.com/olneyvfd/.