By Taylor Boyd
Brush fire erupts in Dobyns Road area
Multiple fire agencies also responded to a brush fire in Stuart on Friday, November 14.
Patrick Springs Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Clint Weidhaas said Stuart Fire Volunteer Fire Department was alerted for a smoke investigation call in the area of Dobyns Church Road and Dobyns Road, and responded with three personnel, a brush truck, and an engine.
“Captain John Wilson gets on scene” and saw that “it was a fire in a ditch on the side of the road and it had just gone right up like a 20-foot steep, steep embankment that you couldn’t even climb up and then onto the side of Handy Mountain and was burning up the side of the Mountain towards Handy Mountain Road…and was spreading rapidly,” he said.
At the same time, Weidhaas said Patrick Springs was responding to a tractor fire on Dogwood Road. The agency sent four personnel, a brush truck, and a tanker to assist personnel from the Stuart Fire Department with the Dobyns fire.
CCDF Volunteer Fire Department, Ararat Volunteer Fire Department, Woolwine Volunteer Fire Department, and Fairystone Volunteer Fire Department were also toned out within 25 minutes, answering the call for additional personnel, brush trucks, and tankers.
Weidhaas said the Virginia Department of Forestry responded with five personnel, a Virginia state Department of Forestry brush truck, and a fire plow to the Dobyns area fire.
“The fire consumed six to seven acres. It was steep, logged-over terrain. The timber had been cut, so it was a clear-cut terrain. It took a good hour-and-a-half to contain the fire,” he said.
Weidhaas said the fire was initially contained by hand crews and then secured by a dozer line.
“But because of the steep terrain the dozer couldn’t get around it quick enough, but the hand crews were able to get around it quick enough to stop it and then the dozer line reinforced it,” Weidhaas said.
After the fire was contained, Weidhaas said the Department of Forestry performed a back burning operation to burn the unburned field between the dozer line.
“They did a back burning operation to support the fire line, the dozer line,” he said.
Weidhaas estimates about 30 firefighters helped to contain the blaze.
He noted the Ararat crew had to divert to cover a different fire on Willis Gap Road, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Cana Volunteer Fire Department and Laurel Fork Volunteer Fire Department were toned out to assist Ararat with its firefighting efforts.
Weidhaas added it appeared that the blaze was caused by a cigarette thrown into the ditch.
Veteran loses home, dog in Meadows of Dan fire
Kenneth Bowman, a Vietnam War veteran, lost his home, belongings and a beloved pet during a house fire on Wednesday, November 12 at 21 Evergreen Road in Meadows of Dan.
Just after 1 p.m., Weidhaas said a two-story with a basement brick single-family dwelling on fire was reported.
“Neighbors reported smoke coming from the residents,” he said.
Meadows of Dan Volunteer Fire Department, Stuart Volunteer Fire Department, Patrick Springs Volunteer Fire Department, and Woolwine Volunteer Fire Department were toned out.
Weidhaas said Fairystone Volunteer Fire Department and Laurel Fork Volunteer Fire Department were additionally requested.
The Meadows of Dan crew responded with seven personnel, six from Patrick Springs, and the remaining departments responded with three personnel each. Patrick County Fire and Rescue also responded with an ambulance
Weidhaas, who was working about six miles from the scene was the first to arrive. “Upon my arrival there was fire through the front portion of the roof and on every level of the residence,” he said.
The fire was caused by a space heater in the basement, and quickly spread to the rest of the house due to the strong wind, he said.
“It was a wind-driven fire, which hampered the firefighting efforts for extinguishing the fire quickly. It was awful. When you have a basement fire you’re supposed to go to the basement first, so interior firefighters had to make an attack on the basement as well as the first floor and were hampered by the wind driving the fire through the windows,” Weidhaas.
When the fire broke out, the homeowner was shopping at Wal-Mart, he said, adding that the home was a total loss. The homeowner lost his dog, a chihuahua, and all of his belongings in the blaze.
“He was pretty sad about that. We tried to find the dog, but we were unable to locate it. The roof had fallen in in different parts, and by the time we were able to really start searching for the dog all of the roof was completely in on the structure,” he said, adding part of the first floor had collapsed into the basement and all of the second floor was in the first floor.
“It was just really difficult to find a medium-sized dog,” he said.
Fire departments were on scene from about 1-5 p.m.
As of Monday, November 18, Tory Creek Church Pastor Lonnie Hylton said Bowman and his daughter, Becky Bowman, are staying in the church’s basement, which is fully furnished. The Bowmans are receiving assistance from the Red Cross.
Hylton said the Bowmans primarily need clothing and food. Kenneth Bowman wears size 36-29 pants and 2xl shirts. Becky Bowman wears l-xl tops and large size pants.
Clothing and food donations can be dropped off at Tory Creek Church. For more information on what the Bowmans need, contact Hylton at (276) 692-8889.
