Members of the Artesian Fire Department work to contain the fire east of Forestburg and to keep it from spreading even further, as there was a lot of dry grass to fuel flames and enough wind to make their job tough.

On Thursday morning, Woonsocket firefighters were called out to a grass fire in an open field behind MT Corner at the junction of Highways 34 and 37. There were no structures damaged, but there was a lot of CRP burned on Mike White’s property just to the south of MT Corner, and the fire spread very quickly with winds gusting to 30 mph at times. The fire burned for approximately three quarters of a mile and through several trees.

Then on Saturday afternoon, the Artesian Fire Department and Woonsocket Fire Department were both dispatched to a large grass fire just east of Forestburg on the east side of the James River. A total of 25-30 acres were burned with this fire, including all the trees along the river bottom on the property of Mike and Jean Tlustos. The fire came within 30 feet of their home and about 30 feet from their neighbor Paula Guinn’s home to the east, on top of the hill. 

…Read more details and see another picture in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!