CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Intense winds have been a concern for fire departments across Middle Tennessee.
A map from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Forestry division showed as of 11:20 p.m. Tuesday, 117 wildfires encompassing more than 1,500 acres were burning. s have asked residents not to burn anything outside Tuesday night or Wednesday to prevent more fires from starting or existing active fires from spreading.
“The wind is still going to be up, so it could be a very dangerous situation,” Cheatham County Emergency Management Director Edwin Hogan said.
Their message is simple: don’t burn anything outside.
“The state is not issuing any burning permits, and even outdoor burning for a burn pit or for burning in a barrel or a campfire — with the wind blowing like it is, it’s just too dangerous to do that,” Hogan said.
Tuesday morning, Pegram Fire Department said a house fire started from an outdoor controlled burn. Pegram Fire Captain John Sullivan said they were able to rescue two cats from the home and no one else was hurt.
Hours later, they responded to a similar situation in Kingston Springs.
“Nobody lived at the home. They had a fire burning, left it unattended and winds were picking up and got into the woods,” Sullivan said. “That’s what led up to that.”
Wind picked up a grass fire outside Tanger Outlets in Antioch; hours prior, there had been a grass fire off Interstate 40. Portland’s fire chief told News 2 their agency responded to two house fires on Meadow Lane that appeared to be weather-related. No one was injured.
Earlier this week, Rutherford County authorities responded to a fire, causing the Rutherford County Fire Marshal’s Office to remind residents about the need for burn permits. White County responders are still working to contain a wildfire that started there Tuesday morning.
