Four Alarm Fire in Wylliesburg

Firefighters from two counties battle blaze

Firefighters from Drakes Branch and Bacon District Volunteer Fire Departments were called to a barn fire on Tuesday afternoon in the Wylliesburg area. When they arrived on scene, they discovered two barns and numerous hay bales on fire and immediately called for more manpower from surrounding fire departments to combat the growing blaze.

Firefighters from Chase City and Keysville Volunteer Fire Departments responded and spent several hours extinguishing the buildings and bales of hay contained within. After the fire was knocked down, the owner of the farm was able to remove the still smoldering bales from the barns and spread them across the field.

Firefighters were able to try a new piece of equipment, a piercing nozzle. The nozzle is designed to push water inside a wall or through an obstruction to get to the fire. Inserting the nozzle into the smoldering bale (above) soaked the bale from the inside, reducing the chance that the bale would catch on fire later in the day.

One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion by the Charlotte County Volunteer Rescue Squad.