Quick take
- The Arkansas Forestry Division said about 240 acres had burned as of 6:25 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, Magnolia Reporter said. The division calls it the Columbia 325 incident.
- Sheriff Leroy Martin said the fire was contained. Forestry crews stayed on scene to put out hot spots, and he asked people to avoid the area overnight.
- No structures were damaged and there was no evacuation, the paper said.
- Magnolia Reporter didn’t report a cause. Martin urged drivers not to toss cigarette butts and to make sure hauling chains don’t drag and throw sparks.
Update, Fri., Oct. 23: The fire was contained by Thursday evening after burning about 240 acres, Sheriff Leroy Martin told Magnolia Reporter.
A wildfire southeast of Magnolia in the Noxube area burned about 240 acres Thursday, Oct. 22, before it was contained, Magnolia Reporter said. The paper said the Arkansas Forestry Division reported the fire at 1:11 p.m. and put the burned area at about 240 acres as of 6:25 p.m. The division calls it the Columbia 325 incident.
Sheriff Leroy Martin said the fire was contained, and Forestry Division crews stayed on scene to put out hot spots. He asked people to avoid the area overnight. Martin said aerial water tankers from the Forestry Division made several runs over the fire and were key to putting it out.
Where it was
The fire was off County Road 11 near County Road 44 in the Noxube area, southeast of the Magnolia Municipal Airport and northeast of the Brister community, Magnolia Reporter said. The area is mostly pasture and woods with few homes. No structures were damaged and no one was evacuated.
Second big fire this week
A fire Tuesday along Dudney Road northeast of Magnolia prompted a brief evacuation. Magnolia Reporter first put that fire at about 150 acres; its Thursday story says about 250 acres. Other fires of an acre or more were reported Thursday south of Texarkana, off Interstate 30 between Fulton and Hope, and west of White Oak Lake in Nevada County, the paper said.
What you can do
- Don’t burn outdoors. Burn bans cover the southern two-thirds of Arkansas counties, Magnolia Reporter said.
- Don’t throw cigarette butts out of vehicles. If you haul with chains, make sure they’re secure and don’t drag and throw sparks, Martin said.
- Martin encouraged people to donate water and other drinks to their local volunteer fire departments.
- Report a wildfire by calling 1-800-468-8834 or local authorities, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture says.
Magnolia Reporter didn’t report a cause. The paper says it has recorded 3.31 inches of rain in downtown Magnolia since June 24, and the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Columbia County in exceptional drought, the worst category.