Quick response, quick action keep brush fires in check

PHOTO COURTESY / NUREMBERG-WESTON FIRE CO. - A brush fire in Mountain Grove on March 10, 2025.
MOUNTAIN GROVE – Firefighters in the extreme northern portion of the county were kept busy Monday with a pair of brush fires. They’re emphasizing residents hold off on outdoor burning until it rains.
The Nuremberg-Weston Fire Company answered two brush fire calls around the same time Monday afternoon in their coverage area.
The first call came in around 3:18pm at 15 Seiwell Lane in Mountain Grove potentially endangering a structure.
About ten minutes later, another call came in for another brush fire at 355 Tower Road on the Nescopeck Mountain.
Responding units could see smoke from both fires.
At Seiwell Lane, a crew from M&J Excavating was already at work battling the fire and units made quick work of the blaze. Crews credited the assistance from M&J Excavating with preventing a major blaze.
That fire had the potential of running the mountain, firefighters said, and both could have been major incidents with windy conditions.
The fire company had a simple message for residents on their Facebook page: “Please wait for rain before doing any outdoor burning!!!!”
Many brush fires are started by people burning debris, refuse, leaves, etc., on dry days, according to Jake Novitsky, fire forester with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).