Staff report
Fire officials say a controlled fire Sunday evening near Gold Hill continued to burn through Monday afternoon.
Rowan County Forest Ranger Rodney Kreiser said Monday afternoon the owner of property at the corner of Old Beatty Ford Road and U.S. 52 “let a fire escape and get out of hand.”On Sunday, firefighters from Gold Hill, Richfield and Liberty fire departments responded. Firefighters worked about two and a half hours, Kreiser said.
On Monday, fire officials moved logs and timber, which were dry, using a bulldozer, he said.
The bulldozer and other equipment came from Davidson County. The forestry service works with Davidson.
“We used it to knock down dead trees and roll big piles of logs near the railroad tracks,” Kreiser said.
Fire officials from Gold Hill returned Monday, along with Kreiser and David Poole, Rowan County assistant forest ranger and an equipment operator from Davidson.
Kreiser said generally, someone whose controlled fire gets out of control would receive a ticket. The landowner in this case received a ticket and will not face any criminal charges.
“This person had no previous offense,” he said.
Kreiser said about six-tenths of an acre was burned. There was no structures damaged and no real property damage other than the woods.
The burning ban was lifted more than a month ago, but Kreiser cautions those who are burning to be careful.
“With the low humidity, even though we got three and a half inches of rain, it’s still dry,” he said.
Any time you undertake any kind of burning, make sure you obtain any required permits, Kreiser advises. Also, stay with the fire.
“All fires must be maintained by a watch person until the fire is out,” he said.