volunteer fire departments in these seven Pine Belt counties have responded to dozens of out of control grass, brush and woods fires with several of the fires threatening structures.  “Our volunteer

fire departments have been very busy responding to grass, brush and woods fires with some fairly large acreage fires reported in the Pine Belt,” notes Lamar County Fire Coordinator George Stevens.

Adds Wayne County Fire Coordinator Doug Hutto, “The past several weeks have been extremely cold with numerous heavy frosts which has dried out the already dead vegetation.  Combine the dry

vegetation with moderate to strong winds and you have perfect conditions for rapid fire spread.”

Forrest County Fire Coordinator Chip Brown notes, “We are urging the public to be very careful if conducting any outdoor burning activities and refrain from outdoor burning if possible until

we have had some rainfall in the area.  When a volunteer fire department is out on a preventable wildland fire, they are unavailable to respond to potentially more serious calls such as vehicle

accidents and structure fires.”  Should a controlled fire get out of control, residents are urged to call 911 to report the fire and take steps to protect life and property.  Keep a water hose or

appropriate fire suppression equipment handy and be sure not to conduct outdoor burning activities when windy conditions are present.  “We’ve been very fortunate that no one has been injured

in some of these fast moving fires,” notes Jones County Fire Coordinator Dan McKenna.  He adds, “It just takes a moment for a small fire to get out of control and become a monster fire.  We just

want local residents to pay close attention to this fire warning and take steps to prevent damage to their homes and property and that of their neighbors – it’s a serious situation right now.”