Firefighters hope that a brush fire near Veazey Road in Greene County isn’t a preview of a much worse scenario that could play out on July 4.
According to Greene County’s Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Bashore, Fire and Rescue units were sent to the Veazey Road area at approximately 1:30 p.m. June 30 regarding a brush fire that wound up covering about 28 acres.
Bashore said units from GCFR B-shift: Engine 13, Engine 12, Engine 11, Brush No. 9, Tanker No. 9, Tanker No. 10, Med 3 from Greene County EMS, Liberty Fire Rescue, Siloam Fire Rescue, Union Point Fire Rescue, and Georgia Forestry responded to the blaze. High temperatures were soaring to nearly 100 degrees as firefighters worked almost four hours to extinguish the fire.
Units from Georgia Forestry dug a fire break around the fire to keep it contained.
Local residents were advised to be cautious in the area, even after the fire was under control due to residual smoke.
Bashore said the precise cause of the fire has not been determined, but he attributed it to the drought conditions Greene County has been experiencing.
Although the brush fire was fairly minor, it doesn’t bode well for the upcoming holiday.
“We are especially concerned about July 4th as dry as it is,” Bashore said, urging Lake Country residents to be especially cautious with fireworks this year.
According to drought.gov, Greene County is listed as abnormally dry, while the southern half of Putnam County is listed as experiencing moderate drought.
Currently, the worst drought conditions are in southern New Mexico and Texas, with some areas listed as suffering severe drought, extreme drought, or exceptional drought.