COLUMBUS, Ind. – US 31 was closed for almost an hour Thursday afternoon following a grass fire that burned six acres of median vegetation in Columbus.
Firefighters were called to the intersection of Lowell Road and US 31 at 1:20 p.m. when a grass fire was reported.
Upon arrival, they found a lot of smoke and a large grass fire in the median between the northbound and southbound lanes of US 31. A part of the fire jumped over the northbound lanes and was approaching a garage building on North County Road 150W. Help from two neighboring township fire departments was requested.
Due to steady winds and dry conditions, the blaze within the median grew quickly and created an immense amount of smoke, prompting law enforcement to close the road.
As CFD applied water to the vegetation in the median, the Columbus Township and German Township Fire Departments arrived with their off-road fire-fighting vehicles to assist on County Road 150W. Their “Brush Trucks” are capable of delivering water while driving off-road and are commonly used to fight grass and brush fires in rural areas.
With all three agencies attacking the flames, firefighters gained control within 20 minutes. US 31 reopened at about 2:20 p.m. No injuries were reported.
While the official cause of the fire is undetermined, fire officials believe that the blaze was likely accidental and may have been caused by discarded smoking materials.
The current dry conditions create increased risks for vegetation fires and CFD advises that any open burning be continuously monitored and to only use approved burn containers. Smoking materials should be discarded in an appropriate noncombustible container.
