City, County Enact Burning Ban After Brush Fire
10 04 11

C-T Photo / Catherine Stortz Ripley

Chillicothe Rural Fire and Chula Fire assisted the Chillicothe Fire Department in extinguishing a 25-acre brush fire that ignited on LIV 228, land belonging to Larry Johnston. Johnston stated that he had burned some brush on the property the day before and that the hot embers started the fire in the combined grass and corn field area.

The Chillicothe Fire Department reported to the scene on the property of Larry Johnston, to discover approximately 25 acres of combined grass and corn field wildfire. The CFD received a call on their private line from a rural fire member land owner at approximately 2:26 p.m. yesterday (Monday, October 3). The caller reported a grass / cornfield fire on their property, located along LIV 228, and near LIV 247. The CFD reported to the scene at 2:43 p.m..

Mutual aid requests for two brush trucks from the Chula Fire Department were sent and obliged. The CFD reports that the fire was brought under control and extinguished with no real damage to personal property. Four apparatuses and nine persons assisted in the extinguishing of the fire.

Johnston told firefighters that he had burned a brush pile the day prior, and assumed that some of the hot embers had probably remained from that burn, igniting the grass fire on Monday.

Chillicothe Fire Chief Darrell Wright, in accordance with Chillicothe Mayor Chuck Haney and Presiding County Commissioner Eva Danner Horton, enacted a burn ban across the Livingston County area, including the city of Chillicothe, starting Tuesday. The ban is effective until further notice, and prohibits the starting of any fires outside of building structures, save for barbecue grilling. Citizens are warned, however, to use extreme caution when utilizing grills in the dry-weather fall months.

Wright says that there are a few simple steps one can take to prevent brush fires from getting out of hand. Sometimes, however, those simple steps can come with their own difficulties. "Don't burn in the wind. Watch the wind," Wright said. "Make sure the embers are out [when you’re done burning]. That's hard to do. These guys are watching them all day long. "Make sure it's out good," he said.