Photos and information by Jerry Strahan
At approximately 2 p.m. Saturday, several fire departments, including Springhill District 11 traveled to a woodland fire to assist the Taylor, Ark. fire department on Hwy. 19, just south of Hwy. 160. Upon arrival the incident commander requested the following agencies for help: Macedonia, Lake Earling, Springhill and Walkerville departments, along with Arkansas forestry and numerous law enforcement agencies.
According to Ayden Duncan, PIO for the Arkansas forestry, resources used for the incident included around 75 people, 4 fire plows, and 1 air tanker. The Air tanker, which is contracted by the Arkansas forestry flew in from Arkadelphia Ark. to assist with the fire early Saturday morning. They made four passes over the fire at 400 feet and 1,700 feet between 6:27 p.m. and 7:01 p.m. and landed back at Magnolia airport at 7:10 pm.
The fire was contained and will be monitored for the next several days..
Total damaged acreage stands at 200 acres. No structures were lost and one report of a deer stand was destroyed. The fire was one of several in the state of Arkansas over the weekend. Soon after, Bradley, Ark. Fire Department responded to a smaller wildland fire, bringing the total acreage across Arkansas to 3,460 acres.
A burn ban remains in effect for Webster Parish.
