LISA HOBBS - News Editor
A fire on McGowen Road in Morrison today raged for hours before a multi-departmental response managed to gain control and extinguish it.
“I’d like to thank everyone who responded, but I don’t want to leave anyone out,” said Morrison Fire Department Chief Aaron Roberts. “We had Centertown, McMinnville, North Warren departments and guys from Campaign-Rock Island Fire and Viola Fire departments here. There are so many I need to thank. EMA Jason Hillis brought drinking water. Forestry and Warren County Sheriff’s Department assisted. The sheriff’s department used their drone to coordinate fire suppression. It was a multi-departmental response.”
The fire originated, says Roberts, on the Elam Farm and came from a Combine when a barring went out and caught fire. With dry grass and wind, the flames spread fast.
“Being a volunteer fire department, that’s a challenge in itself. Being volunteers, your members are at work and not able to respond. With something like this, this large of an event, during the daytime, having everyone to help out made the difference.”
The fire, according to reports on the scene “jumped a fence” and ventured onto properties on Shelbyville Road. Centertown and North Warren departments were dispatched to that area to head it off and protect houses in that area.
Roberts also mentioned Brad Weaver, who lead the command, and a firefighter named Cooper from Centertown’s department, who ran the operations side of the effort.
Along with an estimated 5,000 gallons of water used by the fire departments, Forestry used a bulldozer to construct a trench (also called a break) to contain and keep the fire from spreading.
“Everyone worked together and I’m grateful for that. It was a good team effort. I’m so thankful for everyone’s assistance. Because of the quick response, we were able to keep any homes from being affected. There was one cabin on Shelbyville Road that they were concerned about, but we managed to contain it before it got that far.”
The fire call went out after 1 p.m. on Departments departed the scene at approximately 5:40 p.m.