Fire damages wooded area in city limits

John Oxford

May 22, 2007 11:11 pm

— MOULTRIE — A wooded area usually covered with water was consumed by fire Monday evening.
Moultrie Fire Chief Ken Hannon said firefighters were called to a wooded area near the intersection of Talmadge Drive and Fifth Avenue Southeast about 6:30 p.m. Monday. By the time the fire was brought under control, it had burned about seven acres of foliage.
The cause of the fire was not known as of Tuesday morning, and Hannon said parts were still smoldering at that time near the Okapilco Creek edge. The Georgia Forestry Commission put up fire breaks to contain the fire from reigniting and spreading.
No structures of any kind were threatened by the fire, Hannon said. It was contained by firefighters and the forestry commission about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, so all units left the scene. All returned Tuesday morning, and the forestry commission added breaks to further contain the fire.
Hannon said the area that was burned was usually in a swampy area of the creek, but the lack of rain has dried up the area. The fire may have even been a good thing for the area, Hannon said, because it was not known if it had ever been burned off with a controlled burn before this fire.
Power lines located above the fire were not affected, Hannon said. There was no indication the power lines played a role in the fire, he said.
Hannon praised the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Colquitt County volunteer fire departments for their assistance in fighting grass and vegetation fires. Both have provided the Moultrie Fire Department with help in fighting recent fires.
“They do a great job,” Hannon said. “They’ve been a great group of people to work with.”