Officials weigh in on Iron Mountain fire

Those driving along the Anniston Eastern Bypass Tuesday evening might have noticed a large blaze billowing smoke around the Iron Mountain.

That plot of land holds over 900 acres of fish and wildlife refuge known as the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge, according to Anniston Fire Chief Jeff Waldrep. Because of this, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services took the lead on controlling the fire and its investigation.

While the FWS inevitably headed the incident and controlled the blaze, quick action was taken by first responders from the Anniston Fire Department and the Alabama Forestry Commission.

“The [Alabama Forestry Commission] went in and put fire breaks around the perimeter of the fire and stuff like that,” Waldrep said.

An Anniston Star Reporter asked what tools or specialized equipment local first responders have at their disposal when a large fire breaks out in remote, heavily wooded areas where it would be difficult to maneuver a fire truck.

“We rely a lot on Alabama Forestry to bring their bulldozers in and cut fibers. And then we have smaller trucks that we call brush trucks. [It’s] like a flatbed pickup kind of thing with a water tank. We can get off the road. But in remote areas we rely on Alabama Forestry,” Waldrep said.

As of Thursday afternoon, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Sam Jerman, the assistant fire management officer with the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, who acted as the point of contact for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

The full containment of the fire, Jerman said, took first responders a full 24-hours to control — with the call first coming in around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and the situation being labeled as contained at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

When asked what was the acreage or how much of the refuge had been damaged, Jerman said: “The impact of the fire is still being evaluated.”

Folks around the Calhoun County area took to social media Tuesday night, commenting their concerns, with many anticipating the rain to aid in the containment of the fire. However, Jerman said Tuesday night’s storms had the opposite effect.

“The area experienced high winds, some, clocking 50 (miles-per-hour), which did have an impact, causing the fire to spread. A team of federal, state, local first responders and non-governmental agencies worked together to contain the fire quickly,” he said.

Jerman said that while the area is still being examined, initial findings show minimal damage to habitat, timber and wildlife.

“(There was a) prescribed burn to take place in this particular area on a future date. So solid fire lines were already around the parameters. The fire could have been much worse if this area had not been prepped in advance,” Jerman said.

Those driving along the Anniston Eastern Bypass Tuesday evening might have noticed a large blaze billowing smoke around the Iron Mountain.

That plot of land holds over 900 acres of fish and wildlife refuge known as the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge, according to Anniston Fire Chief Jeff Waldrep. Because of this, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services took the lead on controlling the fire and its investigation.

While the FWS inevitably headed the incident and controlled the blaze, quick action was taken by first responders from the Anniston Fire Department and the Alabama Forestry Commission.

“The [Alabama Forestry Commission] went in and put fire breaks around the perimeter of the fire and stuff like that,” Waldrep said.

An Anniston Star Reporter asked what tools or specialized equipment local first responders have at their disposal when a large fire breaks out in remote, heavily wooded areas where it would be difficult to maneuver a fire truck.

“We rely a lot on Alabama Forestry to bring their bulldozers in and cut fibers. And then we have smaller trucks that we call brush trucks. [It’s] like a flatbed pickup kind of thing with a water tank. We can get off the road. But in remote areas we rely on Alabama Forestry,” Waldrep said.

As of Thursday afternoon, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Sam Jerman, the assistant fire management officer with the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, who acted as the point of contact for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

The full containment of the fire, Jerman said, took first responders a full 24-hours to control — with the call first coming in around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and the situation being labeled as contained at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

When asked what was the acreage or how much of the refuge had been damaged, Jerman said: “The impact of the fire is still being evaluated.”

Folks around the Calhoun County area took to social media Tuesday night, commenting their concerns, with many anticipating the rain to aid in the containment of the fire. However, Jerman said Tuesday night’s storms had the opposite effect.

“The area experienced high winds, some, clocking 50 (miles-per-hour), which did have an impact, causing the fire to spread. A team of federal, state, local first responders and non-governmental agencies worked together to contain the fire quickly,” he said.

Jerman said that while the area is still being examined, initial findings show minimal damage to habitat, timber and wildlife.

“(There was a) prescribed burn to take place in this particular area on a future date. So solid fire lines were already around the parameters. The fire could have been much worse if this area had not been prepped in advance,” Jerman said.