Rossville brush fire destroys at least one home as fire officials race to contain it
A view of a brush fire in Rossville on Missionary Ridge. (Courtesy: Joe Legge)
ROSSVILLE, Ga. (WDEF)- A large brush fire has left its mark on portions of Rossville and northern Walker County Tuesday evening.
According to the Georgia Forestry Commission, calls came in about a fire on portions of Missionary Ridge shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
On the GFC’s Public Wildfire Viewer, the center of the fire is between South Mission Ridge Drive and Kelly Street.
It quickly spread, being visible for miles including in portions of Chattanooga.
Joe Legge, the Public Information Officer for Walker County, says multiple brush fires stretch for four miles from Rossville to Chickamauga.
Seth Hawkins, a Public Information Officer for the Georgia Forestry Commission, confirmed to News 12 that at least one home and several outbuildings have been destroyed due to the fire.
Legge added that one home was located on South Mission Ridge Drive, but no one was home at the time of the fire.
He said that the fire was roughly 300 acres, and has required numerous agencies from both North Georgia and Southeast Tennessee in a mutual aid response.
As of early Tuesday evening, it was unknown how contained the fire was if at all, as firefighters are actively working to contain the blaze.
Legge said that, “The fires appear to have been started by sparks from a train that ignited combustible material near the tracks.”
There are no active evacuation orders in the Rossville area.
However, Legge said that residents on Chris Lane had to briefly evacuate, but firefighters were able to save more than six homes from being destroyed.
Additionally, Legge added on the fire response that, “Multiple agencies from Tri-State Mutual Aid are assisting. They include crews from Catoosa County, Dade County, Chattanooga, Red Bank, Highway 58, Dallas Bay, Whitfield County, McLemore, Georgia Forestry, Georgia DNR and the National Parks Service. Around 100 firefighters are responding with 36 fire department units.”
They are advising that the air quality will be poor in the immediate area, and that anyone with respiratory issues should remain indoors.
Additionally, with the ongoing dry conditions and low humidity, the Georgia Department of Forestry is asking the public to refrain from burning until conditions improve, as Hawkins says that this is a prime example of how quickly a wildfire can begin.
