Sixteen-year-old Alex Herndon and a friend were watching television at the Herndon home along East Branch Road north of Lowell Thursday afternoon when the unmistakable odor of burning brush wafted into the house.
"I looked outside and saw a bunch of smoke, and it looked like the fire was coming toward our house, so I called 911," Herndon said.
The residence, where Herndon lives with his father and stepmother (neither were home at the time) is located at the foot of a steep hill between East Branch Road and Dixon Ridge Road. The property is part of a 60-acre farm owned by Alex's grandfather, Thomas Morrison.
A neighbor of the Herndons, James Lowers, said the brush fire moved rapidly up the hillside.
"When I heard what had happened, I started walking toward the fire but couldn't get down the hill because there was so much smoke," he said.
Lowell-Adams Volunteer Fire Chief Bob Kubota said the call came in at 12:49 p.m. and within minutes, units were headed to the scene along winding and dusty farm roads.
When firefighters arrived, steady winds were spreading the blaze, and residents of three homes in the general area were temporarily evacuated.
There were some close calls during the fire.
"Two oil wells were in the area, but we were able to save them, and part of a plastic gas line melted and flared up for a moment," Kubota said.
Personnel from seven fire companies responded, including Lowell-Adams, Salem, Warren, Fearing, Reno, Beverly and Caldwell. A helicopter from the Washington County Sheriff's Office also responded to help locate potential hot spots within the seven-acre blaze.
"We not only appreciate all of the fire companies that responded, but also all of the neighbors who pitched in to help out. They rode four-wheelers and used rakes or whatever they could to help put out the fire," Kubota said.
The East Branch Road blaze was one of at least five brush fires that flared up in Washington County on Thursday. Others were reported on Offenberger Road, Dana Road in Newport and Ohio 821 and Kilwell Road near Marietta.
James Pfarr with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry in Hocking County is investigating the East Branch Road fire.
"The cause is still undetermined, but we're still investigating the incident," he said on Thursday. "We also had three brush fires in Hocking County yesterday and another three were reported there today."
Spring fire season in Ohio began on March 1 and runs through May 31. During March, April and May, outdoor burning is prohibited from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"Things are really dry now, winds are picking up, and the humidity is down," Pfarr said. "Even grass that is soaking wet can be dry enough to burn within an hour, so people should be cautious."
He said folks should also be aware when burning brush or debris that a fire that gets out of control and burns other property can be deemed a third-degree misdemeanor, resulting in fines of up to $500 and jail time.
"About 500 wildfires are reported during spring wildfire season, burning around 3,000 acres," said David Lytle, chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry, in a news release.
"Longer daylight hours, combined with gusty spring winds, increase the risk of wildfires. All it takes is a little wind to cause a debris fire to escape control and spread."
