PEARL RIVER (WGNO)— A fire in a wooded area in Pearl River has burned dozens of acres and only now are firefighters able to say they’ve got it under control.
A powerful blaze started off of West Powerline Road in Pearl River on Friday, and for days the blaze burned. Firefighters were worried that the flames were going to threaten homes.
Firefighters from St. Tammany Fire Protection District #11 along with neighboring fire departments an the State Forestry finally put out the blaze, but it burned a whopping 85 acres of land, threatening homes and property.
No major damage to homes or injuries have been reported.
“This fire was unique because of the size of it and the mere fact that it spread so quickly,” Captain Mitchell Geissler with St. Tammany Fire Protection District #11 said.
He went on to say, “It is not rare for us in Pearl River to have woods fires and it is actually common because of the rural areas, but this fire burning 80 plus acres of land is a pretty big deal for us here.”
The blaze threatened nearby homes, but luckily there was no damage to homes injuries and the weather is to blame for it spreading so quickly and for so long.
“The fire was problematic because typically we are drowning in humidity, but on that day the humidity was low. Winds were high, it was dry with no recent rain, so that was the fuel and energy the fire needed to spread as quickly as it did,” Captain Mitchell Geissler said.
Firefighters say they don’t know the exact cause of the blaze.
Firefighters say it’s always a good idea to avoid burning anything when the humidity is low and the winds are high, even if we are not under a burn ban.