Elizabethtown firefighters clear debris from the road left by a fallen tree.
Gusting winds and open flame or dead trees aren’t a good combination.
A tree fell on a power line Monday afternoon near White Oak, knocking out power to about 680 Four Community Electric Membership Corporation customers and causing a brush fire in a field. No structures were damaged, Bladen County Emergency Management director Bradley Kinlaw said, and power was fully restored in about two hours, according to the electric company.
Elsewhere, members of the Elizabethtown Fire Department cleared at least two trees that had fallen across or near roads. One was near the intersection of Peanut Plant Road and Twisted Hickory Road on Monday afternoon, according to Lt. Hollis Freeman.
Monday’s incidents came a day after firefighters extinguished brush fires near East Arcadia and along Owen Hill Road between Dublin and Tar Heel. The Owen Hill Road fire was caused when debris being burned got out of control. The fire threatened nearby houses, but firefighters were able to douse the one-acre fire before it reached any residences.
Winds, which gusted to about 30 mph at times the past two days, are expected to diminish Tuesday to about 5 mph.
The N.C. Forest Service has not issued a burning ban for Bladen County.
“This time of year is what is considered wildfire season,” said Kinlaw, who also has the authority to issue burning bans within 100 feet of structures. “It usually starts picking up for us in February. Folks just need to be careful when they are burning, and have a way to extinguish the fire in case the wind does pick up. Be sure to monitor (the fire) the entire time it’s burning.”
About Author
