Several Properties Threatened By 26 Spot Fires In 15-Mile Stretch On Highway 142 West

Smoke fills the skies as 26 spot fires burn along Highway 142 West on July 14. Several Ripley County fire departments, two Oregon County fire departments and several volunteers worked quickly to keep the fires from damaging structures.

Multiple properties were damaged in a fire that spread throughout Ripley and Oregon Counties last week.

On July 14, 26 spot fires reportedly caused by three flat tires on an 18-wheeler “throwing sparks” spread from Highway 142 to 21 South.

At this time there have not been any charges or citations issued to the driver.

According to Fire Chief Brian Byrd, during the fire, there were 13 structures in danger and many fires burned right up to the houses. No buildings were lost, but several area of land were damaged.

The fire scorched many different fields and properties.

“It’s just one of those weird things,” Ripley County Emergency Management Director Lance Pigg said. “I have seen things like this before, but never on that scale.”

Doniphan Fire Department, Purman VFD, Current River VFD, Poynor VFD, Oxly VFD, Highway K VFD, and Gatewood VFD from Ripley County and BB Road VFD and Myrtle Fire Department from Oregon County, along with several area volunteers, all worked together to get the fires put out.

“There were nine brush trucks, six tankers and about 30 firefighters,” Doniphan Fire Chief Brian Byrd stated.

The community also came together during this time to help family, friends, and neighbors save their property.

Volunteer Beth Rutledge works to spray the flames and the dry grass.

“The fire was two feet from our car,” Gatewood resident Alma Walker said. “If it hadn’t of been for that couple, we would have lost everything.”

Walker explained that she and her husband would have lost their home and car if passing strangers hadn’t gone out of their way to warn them and make them aware of the danger they were in.

There were numerous community volunteers that helped put out the fires and provided drinks for those who were fighting fires.

Pictured is a group including Becky Hinton, Tiffany Scott, Cindy Burgard, Beth Rutledge, Tina Sorrell, Karen Coin, BJ Sorrell, Rachel Wiggs Michael Thornton, Gail Zuluaga Baylee Sorrell, Paul and Keesha Giovingo. These volunteers fought fires and worked together to put them all out.

“All of the departments are very thankful to the community members who brought Gatorade and water and drove up and down the road handing them out,” Poynor Fire Chief Walter Wells said.

As of July 15, burn bans for the City of Doniphan, City of Naylor, and Ripley County were put into effect for a period of 10 days unless sooner terminated. The burn ban can also be renewed at the end of the 10 days depending on the conditions.

“Unless we get substantial rain, we’ll most likely renew the ban,” Lance Pigg explained.

Though we have gotten some rain, it was not enough to change the conditions.

“We got almost four tenths of an inch of rain which did nothing but settle the dust,” Byrd said.

The fire departments would like to stress the importance of following the burn ban and refraining from burning anything.

“The conditions are just way too dry and fires are spreading faster and further than they usually do,” Wells explained.

The dry weather and immense heat we have been experiencing lately makes fires even harder to put out and increases the chances of a fire spreading beyond what it normally would.

“The community can do their part to help by not burning anything until we have had a substantial amount of rain,” Byrd stressed.