Weekend brush

fire called a ‘close call’
By Melanie Davis
melanie@mountaintimes.com

Firefighters responded to an out-of-control brush fire on Wildcat Road just after noon on Saturday.

Nelson Blaine Giles, 55, of Lynnhill Road in Boone, was burning a brush pile four miles from Old U.S. 421 South on Wildcat Road when the fire left the contained area.

Firefighters from Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department and Stewart Simmons Fire Department responded with 12 firefighters and three trucks to extinguish the blaze. Two firefighters were very close to area when the fire was reported and have been credited with helping maintain the fire to a small area.

An estimated 5,000 square feet burned, less than the size of a football field. Firefighters contained the fire quickly and then used water and a specialized foam to extinguish any remaining embers. The scene was cleared in less than two hours.

N.C. Forest ranger Rudy Johnson also responded to the fire. “Even though this fire was contained at a small size, thanks to the quick response of the volunteer firemen, I still consider this to be a very close call in regards to a potentially bad fire,” he said.

There is not a burning ban in place at this time, however, Johnson said this time of year is very risky to burn due to the spring fire season, which will last until May 15. Johnson said the safest time to burn is between May 15 and Oct. 15 when vegetation is in a green, growing stage and the hardwood forests are leafed out to shade the forest floor.

Giles did not have a valid burning permit and has been charged. The fire began approximately 100 yards from the scene of a fire in April of 1988 that destroyed 540 acres and damaged several homes. Firefighters worked for three days on the 1988 fire, known as the Birds Eye View fire.