Fire claims grasslands, woodlands in Henry County

By Jim Cook

Published: June 5, 2008

A controlled burn got out of hand and burned acres of farm and woodland in Haleburg Thursday afternoon.

According to Haleburg Fire Chief Eddie Chambers, the fire was started by a farmer who was trying to clear grass. Dry weather and windy conditions resulted in controlled burn getting out of control.

“We stopped it before it got to a house,” Chambers said. “He (the farmer) was burning two or three acres of grass and the wind took off with it.”

Chambers said the fire, which started at about 2:14 p.m., quickly spread and consumed about 27 acres of grassland and 40-50 acres of woods.

Firefighters responded to the blaze, and with a combination of water and firebreaks managed to get the fire under control. Chambers estimated that it took firefighters about an hour and a half to stop the blaze from spreading.

Chambers said no one has been injured in the fire, but one firefighter suffered slight heat exhaustion. 

The following agencies responded to the fire: Haleburg Fire Rescue, Shorterville Fire Department, Columbia Fire Department, Newville Fire Department, Abbeville Fire Department and the Alabama Forestry Department.