Boone County Fire Protection District responds to large wildfire in Boone County
BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Firefighters with the Boone County Fire Protection District responded to a large wildfire near Midway on Black Walnut Court and North Rollingwood Boulevard at around 4:15 p.m. Saturday. The fire ignited in a wooded area behind several homes.
"We arrived out here on Black Walnut Court, found fire in the woods involving the backside of a six-foot privacy fence," said Assistant Chief for the Boone County Fire Protection District, Gale Blomenkamp. "Crews were able to make a long stretch on the hose line and was able to knock that down and contain the fire to the woods and that fence."
Firefighters also had to dismantle a nearby shed and part of the fence to prevent further damage. Blomenkamp confirmed the fire was a controlled burn that had gotten out of control. No injuries were reported.
Blomenkamp said that Boone County is currently in natural cover fire season with dry conditions increasing fire risk. This fire follows another controlled burn that spread out of control earlier Saturday on Friendship Church Road.
"We had another probably about a ten-acre fire on Friendship Church Road earlier today, same type of deal, controlled burn, that got out of control," said Blomenkamp. "No injuries, no property damage, but it did burn about, well, about 7 to 10 acres. We had multiple firefighters and trucks on the scene of that for about an hour and a half as well."
Officials are urging the public to avoid burning, due to unpredictable wind patterns and dry conditions.
"A lot of change of wind direction on these types of days. And that fire can spread very quickly out of control, so we just encourage people not to be burning yet," said Blomenkamp. "Give it a couple more days, maybe another week and things will be a lot different."
