Smoke could be seen billowing from Star Mountain for several days as firefighters fought wildfire flames last week.
Fire crews in Estill County worked diligently for several days to contain and put out a wildfire that ignited near Sweet Lick Road last week.
Irvine Fire Department Chief Tony Murphy said a call came in at around 7:30 Wednesday night alerting the department of a small forest fire in the area.
He said his department couldn’t access the fire but immediately notified the Department of Forestry.
Within an hour the fire had spread to the other side of the mountain to the area referred to as Star Mountain.
The fire could be seen late Wednesday by those traveling in Irvine and parts of Ravenna.
As the forestry department was working to extinguish the flames, Murphy and the IFD responded to the North Plum Street area at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday with the assistance of the Estill County Fire Department.
“We just sort of babysat the area until Thursday morning,” he said.
The smell of the burning trees along with the smoke from the fire billowed from the mountain throughout the day and into Thursday night.
“The fire began to move down to the Church Street area on Thursday,” Murphy said.
For the next two days, Murphy and his crew monitored the area that included Church Street, Armor Street, Plum Street, Star Mountain Drive and Evergreen.
Residents became concerned and began questioning why the department hadn’t quickly extinguished the fire.
Murphy said he’s learned through experience it’s sometimes best to let the fire run its course.
“We decided to just let the fire burn out all of the little stuff on the ground and the dried up leaves,” he said. “With the wind blowing and the area being dry, just a little gust can bring it back.”
He said crews were concerned the fire would rekindle while it wasn’t being monitored. Murphy said the safest method was to prevent more fires in the area by letting the fire burn out itself.
All the while crews were monitoring structures and were able to prevent any damage to homes or property.
“This helps get rid of the brush in the forest and prevents more fires,” he said.
“There were a few trailers in the woods on Armor Street we were concerned about mostly,” Murphy said.
Crews had the fire was contained by 5 p.m Friday before rain began to fall in the area.
“Mother Nature quenched it Friday night,” he said.
Murphy said there isn’t any estimate of the exact acreage damaged by the blaze and a cause is still under investigation.
He noted that even with a few days of drizzly weather, Fall fire season is not over just yet.
“This rain may keep us safe for the week,” he said. “But when the wind starts blowing and things start drying out, we run the risk of more fires.”
He asks citizens to adhere to a rule prohibiting burning to controlled burns only after 6 p.m. He also advises citizens to call dispatch or the fire department before burning to give them a “heads-up” about the area.
If you are reporting burning in the City of Irvine, call 723-2222 or for the Estill County Fire Department call, 723-2661. To reach dispatch, call 723-2201.