A forest fire that spread from brush burning grew to 60 acres by Thursday morning, but was about 60% contained at that time.
According to officials, the fire appears to have started near a brush burn pile and spread to a wooded area along Van Hill Road. A resident in the area went into the hills to attempt to stop the spread of the fire, but became disoriented as to his location and was helped out by volunteers. The United Volunteer Fire Department and forestry officials responded to the scene.
United had three trucks on the scene and eight personnel. The Newmansville Volunteer Fire Department also responded, along with crews from Hawkins County and Goshen Valley.
Burn restrictions remain in place for Greene County through at least Friday. There is a wind advisory in effect for Friday at 4 AM for the mountains and adjacent foothills that continues until 4 PM. Winds will range up to 20 miles per hour in the valley with 50 mile per hour winds possible in the mountains. However, despite the forecast for some rain with this system, it isn’t expected to be enough to change the drought status of the area.
