Troy Rural Volunteer Fire Department battles brush fire

Fire crews from the Troy Rural Volunteer Fire Department were on the scene in minutes and battled a brush and grass fire on Saturday afternoon on private property located on Lake Creek Road.

The landowner said he had been burning grass since Friday without problems before some wind kicked the fire into a more problematic situation than he and his friends could extinguish.

Temperatures had warmed from the 30s in the morning to about 80 degrees Saturday afternoon, helping create very dry conditions in many areas across the region.

First responders are reminding people that during this time of year it's good to prepare for fire season.

Saturday, May 6 is Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. The national campaign encourages everyone to take action and raise awareness of wildfire risks.

Wildfires across the United States have cost more than 100 lives and more than $40 billion in property losses since 2017.

The 2023 toolkit offers plenty of suggestions to make a property less vulnerable to wildfire.

• Can you see your home’s address number from the street and how about your neighbors’? If not, trim overgrown vegetation covering or blocking the numbers on your homes in case firefighters need to find you.
• Locate two alternate routes out of your neighborhood (besides the one normally used) and plan and practice a family evacuation drill using those alternate routes.
• Measure how close wood piles are located to the home. If any are closer than 30 feet, move them farther away from structures. Screen or box-in areas below patios and decks with wire screening no larger than 1/8-inch mesh to help keep embers out during a wildfire.
• Pick projects that will fit your community and make a real difference in its future safety. Remember, inspect your surroundings, keep things tidy and share info with others. “Check, Clear, Communicate.”
• Check your possessions. Get tips from the Insurance Information Institute on how to document your belongings.
• Check in on others! Help elderly relatives or neighbors enter emergency numbers into their cell phones. Using large type, post their phone number and street address above their landline phone so it can easily be seen when providing information to an emergency dispatcher.
• Rake and remove pine needles and dry leaves to a minimum of 3 to 5 feet from a home’s foundation. Over time, continue up to a 30-foot distance around the home. Dispose of collected debris in appropriate trash receptacles.
• Sweep porches and decks, clearing them of leaves and pine needles. Rake under decks, porches, sheds and play structures.
• On mature trees, use hand pruners and loppers to remove low-hanging tree branches up to a height of 4 feet from the ground (specific height depends on the type and size of tree).
• Collect downed tree limbs and broken branches and take them to a disposal site.
• Remove items stored under decks and porches and relocate them to a storage area. Gasoline cans and portable propane tanks should never be stored indoors or near the home.
• Join forces with neighbors and pool your resources to pay for a chipper service to help clear debris.
• Clear out your closets! Hold a garage sale and donate the proceeds to your local fire department’s wildland fire team.
• Create a family communication plan and build or update a 72-hour evacuation kit for you, your family and your pets.
• Distribute wildfire safety information by setting up a table or leaving handouts at a grocery or hardware store (other high-traffic locations work, too).
• Send free Firewise USA® and emergency preparedness tips through social media or text messaging.
• Contact the local Office of Emergency Management about registering your mobile number to receive emergency notifications on your own device. After registering your own number, register those of your family.

• Inform young adults who babysit outside the home that they need to learn the family’s emergency plan for wildfires and evacuations.

• Work with neighbors to develop a phone tree that can be used to alert everyone about a fire or evacuation.