Firefighters Respond To Kerrs Creek Brush Fire

Firefighters from across the county were called to put out a brush fire in the Kerrs Creek area on Tuesday, Jan. 3, starting around 2:30 p.m.

At a recreational property located on Meadow Ground Trail, a controlled burn suddenly grew out of control when winds increased and blew the fire onto an adjacent field, said Rockbridge Fire Rescue Capt. Kevin Moore.

Companies from Kerrs Creek, Goshen, Rockbridge Baths, Effinger, Lexington, South River, and Rockbridge County Fire-Rescue, as well as members of the Virginia Department of Forestry, combined their efforts and equipment to extinguish the flames.

Moore noted that to access the property, units needed to travel up a mountain on a long, narrow driveway with tight switchbacks. The difficult trek delayed the crews and required that the larger engines and full-size apparatuses be left behind. The crews used ATVs, utility vehicles, and brush trucks to travel up the mountain to the emergency site, Moore said.

Although emergency units were hindered by the terrain, they were able to terminate the fire quickly once they were on site. As a result, the fire consumed about an acre of the field, but units were able to stop it before it reached neighboring woods.