NewsCovering Kentucky

Actions

Firefighters battle flames near an interstate exit

Posted at 5:50 PM, Jul 05, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-06 12:50:17-04

WHITE HALL, Ky. (LEX 18) — Several departments are on the scene of a fire near the Madison-Fayette County line.

The large fire happened Sunday afternoon at Allen Constuction site just off of the exit at mile marker 97 of I-75.

There were no injuries reported. Crews will stay on the scene until the fire is contained, which is expected to take until at least 9:00 tonight.

The fire ignited at 2:00 Sunday afternoon and required help from crews across two counties.

"Due to the heat and the water source, not having much water, we had to call in multiple agencies for manpower and to shuttle water back-n-forth," said Captain Brandon French.

No easy job given the terrain. Several hydraulic oil tanks are on-site and one did explode, but no one was injured. With temperatures soaring into the upper 90s, keeping first responders safe became every bit as important as containing the spread of the flames.

Father Jim Sichko lives nearby and made sure those first responders would be taken care of.

"Obviously it's hot. They're hungry, They've been out here at least a couple of hours, so this is what we can do as a community," said Fr. Sichko.

Fire officials don't suspect foul play. They blame the hot, dry weather we've been having.