Fire burns woods near Shulls Mill Road
by Kellen Moore
Discarded fireplace ashes were
believed to be the cause of a fire that broke out in the woods near Shulls Mill Road on Sunday
afternoon.
The Foscoe Volunteer Fire Department responded just after 1 p.m. to a portion of land between Shulls Mill Road and Rockledge Knoll, less than a mile from Hound Ears Club. Assisted by the N.C. Forest Service and later by the Boone Fire Department, the group got to work spraying the trees and leaves on the forest floor, building fire lines to help prevent the fire's movement and checking for hot spots that could flare up again.
The fire was hindered on one side by a gravel driveway, but it spread across about an acre in the hilly area and directly below the porch of a house at 163 Rockledge Knoll.
Rudy Johnson, a ranger with the N.C. Forest Service, said fireplace ashes dumped off the porch at 163 Rockledge Knoll appeared to have started the fire.
Although lights and television were on inside the home, no one came to the door when firefighters knocked, and a deputy from the Watauga County Sheriff's Office was called to the scene to assist with locating any residents.
They eventually determined that no one was in the home, but resident Jeffery Principe returned later in the afternoon and confirmed that ashes had been discarded outside early Sunday morning. He was issued a warning ticket, Johnson said.
Johnson said that fires caused by disposed ashes are becoming more of a problem now that the weather is turning colder. He urged anyone getting rid of ashes to either mix them first with water in a metal bucket or to dig a pit in the ground, mix the ashes with water and top with a layer of dirt.
Firefighters cleared the scene at about 3:20 p.m.
The Foscoe Volunteer Fire Department responded just after 1 p.m. to a portion of land between Shulls Mill Road and Rockledge Knoll, less than a mile from Hound Ears Club. Assisted by the N.C. Forest Service and later by the Boone Fire Department, the group got to work spraying the trees and leaves on the forest floor, building fire lines to help prevent the fire's movement and checking for hot spots that could flare up again.
The fire was hindered on one side by a gravel driveway, but it spread across about an acre in the hilly area and directly below the porch of a house at 163 Rockledge Knoll.
Rudy Johnson, a ranger with the N.C. Forest Service, said fireplace ashes dumped off the porch at 163 Rockledge Knoll appeared to have started the fire.
Although lights and television were on inside the home, no one came to the door when firefighters knocked, and a deputy from the Watauga County Sheriff's Office was called to the scene to assist with locating any residents.
They eventually determined that no one was in the home, but resident Jeffery Principe returned later in the afternoon and confirmed that ashes had been discarded outside early Sunday morning. He was issued a warning ticket, Johnson said.
Johnson said that fires caused by disposed ashes are becoming more of a problem now that the weather is turning colder. He urged anyone getting rid of ashes to either mix them first with water in a metal bucket or to dig a pit in the ground, mix the ashes with water and top with a layer of dirt.
Firefighters cleared the scene at about 3:20 p.m.