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Railroad Tie Fire Could Be Seen for Miles
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The thick back smoke of the creosote post/railroad tie fire could be seen for miles Saturday. Photo by Eric Skonberg
A stack of creosote posts caught fire north of La Grange and created a huge plume of black smoke on Saturday afternoon, July 15. The plume of smoke could be seen for miles around.
La Grange Volunteer Fire Department got the call around 2:53 p.m. Fire Chief Frank Menefee said the fire was located at Joe Rogers’ gavel pit on US 77 about five miles north of La Grange. La Grange VFD responded with an engine, a tanker and two brush trucks. Menefee called for mutual aid from Winchester VFD, which responded with one engine, a tanker and a brush truck.
Menefee said the fire burned a stack of creosote poles and railroad ties. Menefee said he was unable to determine the cause of the fire. No one was at the property when the fire started, he said. Menefee said the owner had visited the site shortly before the fire and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
La Grange VFD received a call reporting a small grassfire on Race Track Rd. about the same time.
Menefee sent one of the Winchester units to Race Track Rd. while the remaining units battled the creosote fire. Menefee said firefighters cleared the scene on US 77 around 5:30 p.m.
Fayette County EMS and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office also assisted.