Officials say they weren’t able to determine the cause of a wildfire that scorched about four acres of land off Derrick Road on Monday night.
Members of the Derrick City Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to a wildfire burning behind 645 Derrick Road around 3 p.m. Monday and extinguished the blaze after about three hours. No one was injured in the fire.
“We have a pretty good idea as to where the fire started based on the initial calls, and first on scene reports from the first arriving units but I do not want to speculate,” Derrick City Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief James Kelley said following an investigation into the fire on Tuesday morning. “The fire will be undetermined in nature and I do believe that whatever caused it, it was accidental. We did find some ‘hot spots’ during the investigation that we tended to.”
Responding to the scene Monday were the Derrick City Volunteer Fire Department, Rew Volunteer Fire Department and Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Kelley pointed out the conditions are still ripe for wildfires –– until rain or snow falls.
“The woods are still very dry especially now that the leaves have dropped and are very brittle, which makes them a good source of fuel and the warm sun –– they both make a good combination for a fire to start,” Kelley said.
If area residents do burn, they should use an approved container, never leave the fire unattended and water should always be available. People should also not burn when the humidity is low. Cigarettes should not be discarded in wooded areas, Kelley said.
