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Increased fire danger for Richmond-metro

Posted at 5:51 PM, Feb 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-13 18:40:42-05

CHESTERFIELD, Va. -- High winds late Sunday night and early Monday morning helped fuel three separate fires in Chesterfield County. Properties on River Road, Twelveoaks Road, and Little Creek Lane were damaged. In New Kent, Sunday night, almost 12 acres burned.

The shed fire on Jessica Hairfield’s grandparent’s Little Creek Lane property sparked last night. The Chesterfield County fire department arrived on scene around 4 a.m., “to find the garage heavily involved with fire,” according to a statement released by the department.

Hairfield’s uncle, who lives on the property, was transported to MCV with minor injuries.

“To know that something can go up in flames that fast and spread,” Hairfield said, “I wouldn’t recommend burning anything for the next couple days.”

Hairfield’s family lost heirloom’s as well as the shed in the blaze. After her grandfather’s passing a few months ago, many of the woodworking projects he created were in the garage. Gesturing to the burnt remains of the garage Hairfield said, “The handmade things that my grandfather made, it was all on this side and it’s, it’s gone.”

Due to continuing increased fire risk, Hanover County issued a news release early Monday morning prohibiting “open air burning” until Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017. The statement noted that low humidity combined with high winds increased the potential that “fire can start from something as simple as the improper disposal of a cigarette, burning of brush in a backyard, or a camp fire.”

The ban goes into effect ahead of the annual statewide spring 4 p.m. Burning Law. According to the Hanover Fire press release, the law prohibits burning before 4 p.m. if the fire is “within 300 feet of woodland, brushland or fields containing dry grass or other flammable material,” between Feb. 15 and April 30.

Chesterfield County fire marshals are working to determine the exact cause of each incident.

CBS 6 Intern Hayley Gray-Hoehn authored this web article.

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