Fire departments battle fire and wind
Photo by Christy Porter
Members of the Licking Rural Volunteer Fire Department, the Raymondville Volunteer Fire Department, the Montauk Volunteer Fire Department and the Missouri Department of Conservation worked with combined effort to contain and extinguish a windswept fire.
By Christy Porter, Managing Editor
The Licking Rural Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call of a parked RV on fire Friday afternoon. The fire began approximately 1/4-mile west of the Dent County line on Highway VV and, mainly due to 30-40 mph winds, quickly spread to the surrounding countryside.
Recognizing the potential of spread prior to even arriving at the scene, mutual aid from the Raymondville Volunteer Fire Department, the Montauk Volunteer Fire Department and the Missouri Department of Conservation was requested and quickly received, said LRVFD firefighter Randy Wilson. “The windswept fire crossed the blacktop of Highway VV and entered wooded areas.”
Approximately 20 acres had burnt, with likely 10 acres on each side of Highway VV, as all departments worked together and gained control by constructing burn lines.
According to Raymondville Fire Chief Mike Jackson, with the use of high-volume, heavy-duty leaf blowers and rakes, firefighters are quite capable of helping to contain the fire at a fire line in wooded areas.
Photos by Christy Porter
