UPDATED: Fort Gordon Fire Forces People Out of Homes
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Fort Gordon Fire Forces People Out of Homes
If you were driving just about anywhere in the Augusta area, you couldn't help but see the smoke in the air from the huge brush fire. Investigators say it started on Fort Gordon, then made it's way...
If you were driving just about anywhere in the Augusta area, you couldn’t help but see the smoke in the air from the huge brush fire. Investigators say it started on Fort Gordon, then made it’s way off base. It lasted for hours…but how it started is something investigators still aren’t too sure of. WJBF News Channel 6’s Barclay Bishop has more.
***12:15 p.m. July 2 Update***
Update On Wednesday’s Brush Fire From Marla Jones, of the Fort Gordon Public Affairs Office
“FORT GORDON, GA – Fire investigators are still studying Wednesday’s brush fire to determine the cause of the blaze, but they say it was not related to a controlled burn.
The brush fire covered more than 80 acres near the Gate 1 Shoppette/Gas Station . It started at approximately 2 p.m., and was completely contained by 6 p.m.
Once the fire started, it was fueled by winds and an accumulation of dry pine needles and leaves.
Forestry personnel were on the scene with the firefighters, and they emphasize that the blaze was not related to the Post’s controlled burn program. Controlled burns are only conducted in the unoccupied forested areas of the Post, well away from buildings.
Forestry personnel are still on the scene to maintain the area and make sure no new fires start. They used graders Wednesday to create new fire breaks in the area.
Because of the wind, flames caught some trees on fire and sparks were blown over the Butler Reservoir to the Belfair Lakes subdivision. Fire departments from Fort Gordon, Grovetown and Richmond County assisted in fighting the fires both on and off Post.
No property damage was sustained by the fires.“
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Augusta, GA—Lenora Williams, Evacuated from home: “Take a picture of my house in case it’s not here when I get back.“
It’s the fear of losing your home to a fire…for Lenora Williams, and her neighbors in Belfair Lakes, it could have been a reality.
Neighbor: “Get our stuff and get out.“
Lenora Wlliams: “I’m taking all of my paperwork, that’s it, the rest of it can stay.“
Neighbor: “My dogs, my dogs and that’s about it.“
As neighbors hurried to leave, the Richmond County Fire Department, joined by Fort Gordon and Grovetown officials, set up their command post in the neighborhood.
Battalion Chief Richard Burts, Richmond County Fire Department: “You know, in this type of dry climate that we have right now, and the inclimate winds, and you know fire produces its own wind, too, you know, being that it’s so dry it spreads real quick.“
There are some of the pictures folks sent in to WJBF News Channel 6 at the bottom of this article…at some points, the flames were higher than the trees. Officials with the Georgia Department of Forestry monitored the fire from the air…while crews on the ground built breaks.
Battalion Chief Burts: “What we do is we put a barrier between the fuel and the fire so it can burn to a certain point and the theory is that it won’t jump over it and it will die out.“
Thankfully, it did start to die out….but for those in this neighborhood, like Williams…the fear of what they would or would not come home too, became scarier than the fire itself.
Williams: “The thought is in my mind but I hate to think about it.“
There’s no idea on what started the fire. We’re told there was not a controlled burn scheduled for Wednesday, so fire officials will head out that way, Thursday, and start their investigation.
Below are images of the fire sent into WJBF News Channel 6 from a viewer, Natasha Adams:
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