Fire departments tried to put an end to the spread of a field fire once it crossed Oakes Road near the Franklin Monroe School.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
Fire departments from Darke and neighboring counties worked to put out the flames.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
Although most of the fire consumed fields that had already been harvested, a small portion had not yet been harvested.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
By Ryan Berry
DailyAdvocate.com
PITSBURG – The Pitsburg Fire Department got a lot of help to battle a field fire on Wednesday afternoon. Departments from across the county and from neighboring counties joined in to knock down the fire that started near State Route 49 and Gettysburg-Pitsburg Road and extended past Oakes Road close to the village.
Darke County dispatchers received a call at approximately 4 p.m. from 2080 Gettysburg-Pitsburg Road south of the village. With dry and windy conditions, it didn’t take long for the fire to spread quickly. Fire marks show the flames began close to State Route 49 and quickly spread across Gettysburg-Pitsburg Road into another field. With the wind aiding the spread, minutes later the wind helped the fire jump Oakes Road into another field. Firefighters were quick to douse the flames to keep it from spreading further.
It is unclear how many fire departments responded to the scene, but in addition to Pitsburg and nearly every department from Darke County, fire departments from Bradford, Pleasant Hill, West Milton, Brookville, Laura, Covington, and Ludlow Falls could also be seen.
According to Sheriff Mark Whittaker, State Route 49 remained open, but the fire departments were trying to keep motorists off the side roads. He noted that local fire departments have responded to several field fires over the last couple of weeks.
Although the cause of the fire has not been determined at press time, Ohio prohibits open burning in September-November between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].
