ATHENS, Ohio — A brush fire on Radford Road in Athens burned about two acres of land late Wednesday afternoon.
The fire’s origin was a backyard brush pile fire lit by a local resident, according to local fire officials.
“[The fire] was burning at the edge of the grassy field, and it got hot enough that it caught the grass in the field on fire, and it was wind-driven after that,” Richland Area Fire Department Chief Ralph Phelps told the Independent.
In addition to the Richland Area Fire Department, responders included fire departments from The Plains, Albany and Athens. Phelps estimated that it took about two hours for the 10 responding fire trucks to put out the blaze.
Phelps said that a mobile home and barn adjacent to the field were threatened by the fire, but no damage occurred. Local residents who live near the brushfire told the Independent that they were worried that the fire could have spread to their homes, and that they were glad to see local fire departments respond quickly.
The field that burned is not used for hay production or any other agricultural activity.
The resident’s backyard brush fire violated an Ohio law that prohibits daytime burning of “wood, brush, weeds, grass, or rubbish of any kind” from March to May in the spring and October and November in the fall.
Violators of Ohio’s seasonal burn ban can face steep fines and potential criminal charges. A representative of the Athens County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they are investigating the incident.
Last week the Ohio Department of Natural Resources published a news release urging the public to take precautions and follow state law when burning debris.
“Careless debris burning is the leading cause of spring wildfires in Ohio,” ODNR Division of Forestry State Wildfire Supervisor Greg Guess said in the news release. “Following regulations and using safe practices helps reduce wildfire risk statewide.”
