Farm Equipment caused a fire to break out in a cornfield which spread to a field of cotton.

ATWOOD (August 24) – Atwood and rural fire departments, Forestry Service, and area farmers responded to a field fire on State Route 77 beside West Carroll High School on Friday afternoon. John Mark Robinson said a fire ignited from a combine and spread across a cornfield into an adjoining cotton field.
 

Firefighters and area farmers, using portable water tanks, fought spot blazes as a tractor with a disk and the Forestry Service with a bulldozer, cleared debris ahead of the blazes.

Later that afternoon, firefighters from McKenzie, county brigades, and the Forestry Service extinguished a field fire at Surber Farms on Hico Road near McKenzie. Quick response by the landowner and the fire departments kept the fire from spreading in the drought conditions.

Monday, firefighters from Trezevant and McLemoresville fought a grass fire in the Wingo Community along U.S. 79. The departments was able to extinguish the blaze before it reached an open cotton field.

 

Justin Letroy Clark

A 27-year-old McKenzie man has been charged with attempted second-degree murder following an alleged altercation on August 17 that resulted in another McKenzie man being airlifted to a Nashville hospital for treatment of severe head injuries.

Justin Letroy Clark is incarcerated at Carroll County Jail on $200,000 bond, according to McKenzie Police Department Investigator Tim Nanney.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Carroll County General Sessions Court in Huntingdon.

According to a report filed by Sgt. Richard Sawyers, the altercation occurred on Walnut Circle just after 4:30 a.m. Sawyers arrived on the scene in response to two 911 calls from the location at 4:37 and 4:38 a.m. The caller advised that Anthony Haynes Jr. had been assaulted by Clark. She stated Haynes was bleeding badly from a head wound and both men had left the scene.

She stated she did not witness the fight, which occurred in the street, but stated the injured man was in need of medical treatment. The officer observed blood on the front porch of the caller, and a trail of blood led to another large pool of blood in the street.

Approximately 10 minutes later, the police department received another 911 call, stating a man was lying in a yard on Park Cove and was bleeding badly from a head wound. Officers found Haynes lying on the ground in a vacant lot on Park Cove, with a severe laceration to the side of the head. Several people were attempting to assist the injured man.

Haynes identified the person who had assaulted him with an iron pipe or wooden stick, according to officers. He stated other people witnessed the assault, but refused to identify them. He told officers that someone gave him a ride to Park Cove.

Haynes was transported to McKenzie Regional Hospital for emergency treatment, before being airlifted to a Nashville hospital for surgery.

Clark was arrested and taken into custody for parole violation at a residence on Barksdale Avenue Tuesday, August 21 by McKenzie police officers, according to Investigator Nanney.

Clark was on parole after serving a sentence in connection with an attempted second degree murder conviction in 2000. The conviction stemmed from attempting to murder another McKenzie man in December 1999, according to officials.

Clark is being held without bond on the parole violation charge out of Rutherford County, where he moved after serving his sentence, said Nanney.

    

Carroll County Extension Agent Steve Burgess said the continuing drought condition is taking a toll on crops and pasturelands throughout the county.

TVA reports the driest January – July period in 118 years. Rainfall is 18.2 inches below average for the year. Normal rainfall is 50-55 inches for this time of year, Burgess said.

To make matters worse, temperatures have soared to triple digits for 17 days this month as observed at Sipes-McKellar Airport in Jackson.

Burgess said he pulled a corn test plot this week and moisture was at 8 percent, instead of the normal 14-16 percent.

“It was so dry the grain was shattering as it was going through the auger from the combine to the weight wagon,” he said.

Countywide, the agent said corn yield is averaging approximately 100 bushels per acre rather than the normal 140 bushels per acre.

However, the agent stated the average has been 130 to 140 bushels per acre in some bottomlands, where rain showers have occurred this summer. On the flip side, he noted the average has been only 60 bushels per acre for some hill ground, where only one inch of rain was received.

“Corn has dried down and is being harvested two or three weeks earlier than usual,” he noted.

The cotton yield is expected to be 500-600 pounds per acre, said Burgess, who noted the average for the last 10 years has been 1000 pounds per acre.

Soybeans, that are usually harvested the last of October or first of November, is expected to produce 15-20 bushels per acre this year instead of the normal 35-40 bushels per acre, he said. However, he noted that beans will be earlier than usual because the plants are drying down and shedding leaves.

Some bean fields will not be harvested at all, but will be cut for hay because the pods are not filling out.

“There is not enough soil moisture,” said Burgess. “We’ve got a lot of nice looking plants but pods are not filling.”

Some of the later planted soybean fields, that followed wheat crops, have not produced any plant height.

“They did not even fill out the middle of the rows,” said Burgess.

Many farmers will receive some assistance through crop insurance. Most farmers in Carroll County carry some level of crop insurance, with coverage ranging from 50 to 75 percent for relatively low premiums, said Paul Ward Jr., a market supervisor for Rain and Hail, LLC, a private company reinsured by the federal government.

“There will be a lot of claims in Tennessee this year, especially the western half of the state,” said Ward.

Pasturelands are really critical at this time, said Burgess, who noted there is some doubt as to whether fescue pastures will survive the damage from lack of rainfall. Fescue is the primary pasture grass grown in this area, he noted.

“Rain at this point would not do our crops any good,” said Burgess. “In fact, it would harm those trying to harvest their crops. However, it would help the pasturelands.”
 

 
McKenzie Fire Department is issuing a city-wide ban on any open air burning, according to Fire Chief Brian Tucker. No burn permits will be issued inside the city limits until further notice, he said.

Tucker noted the department has responded to numerous brush fires in the past week.

“We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in helping prevent fires during the drought condition,” He said.

He reminds persons to be extremely careful with cigarettes and extinguish them in a proper manner.

Forestry Officials Announce Burning Permit Requirement

Due to extremely high wildfire danger caused by the drought, record high temperatures and low humidity, state Forestry officials have announced the implementation of burning restrictions usually reserved for official wildfire season.

Effective immediately, citizens are required to obtain a burning permit from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry before conducting any outdoor, open burning of debris within 500 feet of woodlands, grasslands or forestlands.

"Although our level of wildfire activity is moderate and manageable, we're concerned about the potential for high wildfire danger due to the extremely dry conditions and the effect it's having on forest fuels as we move into the fall," said State Forester Steve Scott. "We want to be proactive by helping citizens determine when and where it's safe to burn and when it's not.

"Considering the forecast for continued hot, dry conditions and little chance of rainfall, we will be issuing burning permits on a very limited basis, to be evaluated county by county and considering local conditions. We are taking these steps to help undercut the threat of wildfires caused by debris burning before they happen, and to protect lives and property."

Typically, burning permits are not required by the state Division of Forestry except during official fire season, which runs Oct. 15 through May 15 each year. However, under state law the State Forester can prescribe other periods of time for requiring burning permits as conditions warrant. The burning permit requirement is expected to remain in force through May 15, 2008, when official wildfire season ends.

According to state Forestry officials, burning permits are not likely to be issued until areas of the state receive substantial rainfall. When conditions improve, citizens should inquire about burning permits by calling their local Division of Forestry office listed in the phone directory under state government between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A directory of state forestry offices by county can also be found on the Web at www.burnsafetn.org.

Activities requiring a burning permit include, but are not limited to unconfined, outdoor burning of brush and leaves, untreated wood waste, and burning to clear land. Burning permits are required in most areas unless superseded by local ordinance, so citizens are encouraged to also check for any restrictions by municipalities.

Since January 1, nearly 2,500 fires have burned an estimated 35,000 acres in Tennessee, above average for what is normally seen in 12-month period. Escaped debris burns are the leading cause of wildfire; however, 38 percent of the wildfires this year have been due to arson, which is a class C felony punishable by three to 15 years in prison and up to $10,000 fines. Anyone with information about suspected arson activity should call the state Fire Marshal's Arson Hotline toll-free at 1-800-762-3017.

Burning without a permit is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $50. For more information, visit the Division of Forestry's wildfire safety Web site at www.burnsafetn.org.

   

Henry County, TN (August 23, 2007) - In light of Wednesday's history-making fire, the Henry County Emergency Management Agency has issued a “NO BURNING BAN” for all of Henry County effective immediately at the request of all of Henry County's fire chiefs.

Emergency Management Director Ron Watkins said the ban includes "ANY type of Outdoor burning". Under Tennessee law, he said, "only the fire chief can issue a no-burn order, but since Henry County doesn't have a county-wide fire chief, it was up to each one individually to issue an order."

His agency contacted all the fire chiefs in the county and all agreed to issue orders in their jurisdictions, Watkins said, making the ban county-wide.

"All persons are encouraged to use extreme caution using open flames outdoors," he said. "Smokers are encouraged not to discard cigarette butts out car windows or into grassy areas. This ban includes burning trash, brush, and campfires."

The ban will remain in effect indefinitely "until further notice or we get a substantial rainfall", Watkins said.

As evidenced by Wednesday's massive fire, the continued dry conditions and dangerous temperatures have created favorable conditions for wild fires, he
said.

The following fire districts have issued no burning bans in their respective emergency service districts: Paris, Puryear, Henry, Cottage Grove, Whitlock, Jones Mill, Paris Landing, Oakland, Mansfield, and Springville.

For additional information please contact Ron Watkins, Henry County Emergency Management at 644-2678 or your local fire department.