FOUR FIRES REPORTED IN BOLLINGER COUNTY

MARBLE HILL -- The dry summer gave way to a hot autumn weekend in Bollinger County as firefighters responded to four fires.

Although no one was injured, several hundred acres of fields and forests burned and one residence was damaged, said James D. Bollinger, Marble Hill fire chief.

"We have been very fortunate that we haven't had any serious fires until now," Bollinger said. "The three or so a week we've seen have been very minor, mostly burning themselves out by the time we got there."

Firefighters from five county departments, including two from Perry County, responded to a grass fire about noon on Saturday near Route NN. They were assisted by foresters from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources who used heavy equipment to dig trenches to stop the fire's progress.

Before it was finally stopped about 5 p.m., it had consumed more than 120 acres, Bollinger said.

"We got a late start on it, and it was very windy," he said.

At one point the fire came within 20 yards of a mobile home, the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department said.

The mobile home was in little real danger, since most objects that could have passed the fire along were at a distance, the Marble Hill fire chief said.

A residence two miles north of Marble Hill was damaged by an accidental fire that started sometime after 3 p.m. on Saturday, Bollinger said. The blaze gutted two rooms, and the rest of the house received smoke damage, he said.

With Marble Hill firefighters already responding to the grass fire in the northern part of the county, some were forced to go to the house fire.

Like with many rural fire departments, there aren't enough firefighters to go around the county, Bollinger said.

"On the weekends people are out doing things," he said. "We need more people."

The first fire of the day occurred about 10 a.m. on Route C when a car fire spread to a field just south of Zalma.

Considering that six-tenths of an inch of rain has fallen in Bollinger County since July 1, residents' personal dedication to stop outdoor burning has done much to keep the area safe, Bollinger said.

"Although we don't have a no-burn ordinance here, most people just figure it out from watching the news," he said. "When they see that Cape Girardeau has a no-burn order, everyone listens."