CULLMAN – Following a two-day continuous wildfire burn that started in Blount County before moving into the Cullman County region shortly after 3:40 p.m. Friday, which destroyed more than 600 acres between two counties, areas such as Vinemont, Berlin, Cold Springs and other regions of the county were hit again Sunday.
Maurice Reynolds, chief of the Bethsaida Volunteer Fire Department, stated crews from all over Cullman County have been fighting small brushfires and wildfires for much of the day.
“They’ve (firefighters) been at it all day,” Reynolds said. “We have not had any calls, luckily, but I’ve been keeping a count and so far we’ve had eight different calls regarding wildfires or brushfires.”
Reynolds said the county is still under a “no burn permit” regulation and that goes for everyone living in the city to those living in the farthest reaches of the county.
“People need to know that the green grass they are seeing will go up just a fast as the dead, brown leaves and grass they may be trying to burn off since it’s fall,” he said. “We are under a no burn ordinance at this time, so that means no burning even if you feel you have control over it.”
When asked about residents who may be grilling out, Reynolds said, “Make sure you are in an open space and that there are no dead plants or dying grass under your grill as an ember may fall out. If that happens it only takes a matter of minutes before your yard or home could catch fire.”
He asked residents to keep a bucket of water or a turned on water hose with a nozzle nearby just in case something were to happen.
“We are experiencing a drought, so whenever we have low humidity combined with a constant breeze, all you need is one small flame or lit cigarette tossed out of a car to scorch 20 acres of land,” he said.
Over in Berlin, Fire Chief Ralph Laney and his crew battled a blaze that did just that. Twenty acres were consumed by a wildfire that started as a result of a resident burning trash. Embers were blown into a nearby pasture. The fire was in the vicinity of 5431 County Road 747.
"It burned about 20 acres," said Laney. "We first toned out at 2:23 p.m. and went back in service around 4:45 p.m.Goldridge and Fairview were there for backup, and we had Holly Pond on standby. We had about 25 guys fighting the fire."
Laney says the fire came within 4 feet of a mobile home. "I sent everybody south to keep it away from the homes down there," he said.
Berlin called in the Forestry Commission to run a fire break around the pasture in case there were any remaining embers.
Active fires as of 7:30 Sunday evening include County Road 25 in Cold Springs and County Road 35 in Arkadelphia.
Cullman County, and much of north Alabama, is still under a Fire Danger Warning from the Alabama Forestry Commission.
This is a developing and continuing story, so please check back with The Cullman Tribune / CullmanSense for more information as it is available.
