Grass fires light up Monday afternoon

The Southern Boone Fire Protection District found itself going in two different directions at the same time on Monday afternoon.

Two natural cover fires were called to the fire department just before 5 p.m., one on Nashville Church Road, west of Ashland, and the other on Hawkins Road, east of Ashland off of Route Y.

According to fire district’s Roger Jaeger, fire fighters were dispatched to Nashville Church Road to pour water and foam on a fire which was getting dangerously close to several hay bales.

“A couple of wind shifts caught some folks doing a controlled burn by surprise,” Jaeger said. “It’s very dry right now and the grass and cover burns fast – and it’s hard to put out.”

Jaeger said the fire consumed no more than two acres.

The fire on Hawkins Road was smaller, but had the potential to burn a nearby shed. “It burned some cover and some dry cedars,” Jaeger noted, “but it was put out before it was out of control.”

Jaeger said weather conditions – dry and windy – make for the perfect recipe for fires to easily get out of control.