Several firefighters are working to contain a 100-acre wildfire in Lawrence County

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) – Emergency crews in Lawrence County spent Monday afternoon controlling a massive 100-acre wildfire.

According to Lawrence County Sheriff Brad DeLay, first responders received a call around 12:30 a.m. Monday for a fire in the area of Highway FF near Highway K and Highway 39.

“It was like lighting a match and throwing it in gasoline because it took a few minutes for it to spread over the entire 100 acres,” said Sheriff DeLay.

Sheriff DeLay says the field that burned is being used to create biofuel.

“They’re basically harvesting the crop here to make biofuel. So obviously it was already something that was going to be hot. It’s something they used to make fuel for vehicles, farm implements, etc.,” Sheriff DeLay said.

Sheriff DeLay says he was one of the first to respond and noticed the flames were 6-3 feet high and approaching power lines in the area. About ten fire departments responded to aid each other in controlling the flames, totaling nearly 100 firefighters. The sheriff says fire crews used nearly 50,000 gallons of water.

Less than three miles away, Steve Wageman watched smoke billow into the air.

“We knew it had to be a very fast spreading fire because there was a lot of smoke in the atmosphere. So it was very, I knew it was very big. And of course the 30-40 mph winds, gusting miles per hour,” he said.

“We’ve spent about three hours now trying to stop this and put it out. We think we probably have about 100, maybe a little more than 100 acres that are basically gone. And fortunately, because of the quick response of being able to work with all these other agencies, we kept it from being a lot worse,” said Sheriff DeLay.

Sheriff DeLay says at times the fire jumped the highway, but firefighters and area farmers were ready with trucks full of water.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“I couldn’t imagine anyone burning in that kind of atmosphere,” Wageman said.

To report a correction or typo, please send an email [email protected]. Please include item information in the subject line of your email.