Posted 9:17 pm Thursday, July 05, 2012
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Grass Fire In Flint Blamed On Fireworks
By TIM MONZINGO
Staff Writer
A small grass fire that broke out Thursday evening is being blamed on fireworks.
Smith County Fire Marshal Jim Seaton said the blaze, which broke out around 6:10 p.m. near the Villages Resort, burned between two and four acres. A structure was threatened, but ultimately no injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, Seaton said.
The blaze burned in a brushy plot, but only the brush closest to the ground burned.
Seaton said that's because the plants retained high amounts of moisture. He said Smith County had the most optimistic Keetch-Byram Drought Index rating of any another county around it. As of Thursday, he said the rating was around a 437 on the index, with 0 being plenty of moisture in the ground and 800 being absolutely dry.
He said firefighters are hoping that a weather system moving into the area over the weekend will help keep the index low.
The National Weather Service forecast for the weekend gives the area a 20 percent chance of rain on Friday. A 40 percent chance of rain is forecast for Saturday, and that drops to 30 percent Saturday evening, which is the same forecast given for Sunday and Monday.
Staff Writer
A small grass fire that broke out Thursday evening is being blamed on fireworks.
Smith County Fire Marshal Jim Seaton said the blaze, which broke out around 6:10 p.m. near the Villages Resort, burned between two and four acres. A structure was threatened, but ultimately no injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, Seaton said.
The blaze burned in a brushy plot, but only the brush closest to the ground burned.
Seaton said that's because the plants retained high amounts of moisture. He said Smith County had the most optimistic Keetch-Byram Drought Index rating of any another county around it. As of Thursday, he said the rating was around a 437 on the index, with 0 being plenty of moisture in the ground and 800 being absolutely dry.
He said firefighters are hoping that a weather system moving into the area over the weekend will help keep the index low.
The National Weather Service forecast for the weekend gives the area a 20 percent chance of rain on Friday. A 40 percent chance of rain is forecast for Saturday, and that drops to 30 percent Saturday evening, which is the same forecast given for Sunday and Monday.
