A person burning grass in Green County is facing possible financial repercussions after the illegal fire rapidly spread and burned 23-acres of land.
The Summersville Fire Department was “dispatched to a wind-driven field fire” Tuesday in the 4900 block of Eve Hwy (Hwy 566), approximately seven miles east of Summersville.
“The first units on scene advised that we had multiple houses in danger and the fire was spreading quickly due to the wind,” the fire department said in a social media post.
Several nearby homes were evacuated until the fire was contained, “as we had flames shooting higher than the houses we were trying to protect,” according to the fire department.
It took firefighters from nine fire departments two hours to contain the blaze and three-and-a-half hours to extinguish the fire.
A property owner near where the wildfire began was illegally burning grass when embers from that fire spread to other properties, fire officials said.
Green County is under a burn ban, leaving open the possibility that the Kentucky Division of Forestry could file charges against the person who started the blaze. The unnamed person responsible for the fire could also be forced to pay restitution to property owners negatively affected by the fire.
The entire state is under a daytime burn ban, as no burning is allowed near woods or brush between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. until the spring fire hazard season ends on April 30.
The fire departments and other agencies that assisted the Summersville FD in battling the blaze: Green County-Greensburg FD, Grab FD, Linwood FD, Buffalo FD, LaRue Co. FD, Magnolia FD, Taylor Co. FD, Campbellsville Fire & Rescue, Green Co. Emergency Management, Green Co. Rescue, Green Co. EMS, and the Green Co. 911 Center.
(Photo: A wildfire burned 23-acres in Green County, courtesy of the Summersville FD)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
