County Contends With Wildfire Danger

RISON - Volunteer firefighters along with the Arkansas Forestry Commission battled a wildlfire Sunday morning near the Macedonia community south of Rison that burned more than 60 acres. It was one of what the Arkansas Forestry Commissions reported to be nearly two dozen wildfires across the state over the weekend. Two neighboring counties, Bradley County to the south and Jefferson County to the north, had wildfires that burned several hundred acres on Saturday, Oct. 22, and Monday, Oct. 24, respectively. The fire at Macedonia started within a wooded area south of Brown Road in the Macedonia community, which is about nine miles south of Rison off Hwy. 35. The exact cause of the fire was unknown, according to the Forestry Commission’s Cleveland County office at Kingsland. The Hwy. 35 South Fire Department, which is stationed at the Macedonia community, was called out at 5:12 a.m Sunday while the Rison Fire Department was called out assist with the fire at 5:56 a.m. Sunday. The Forestry Commission was called out shortly after Hwy. 35 South was notified about the fire. Rison Fire Chief Alan Parnell said his firefighters were set up along Puckett Road to protect a structure that was in that area. The Cleveland County Forestry Commission office at Kingsland brought in bulldozer with a plow and other firefighter equipment to begin cutting fire lanes to contain the blaze. Officials estimated about 62 acres were burned. Cleveland County, like nearly all of southern Arkansas, remains under burn ban this week after persistently dry conditions combined with low humidity has elevated the county and much of the region to be classified as anb “extreme” wildfire risk by the Forestry Commission. A burn ban means no outside fires are allowed. Violating a burn ban is considered a Class A misdemeanor under Arkansas law. A Class A misdemeanor is the most serious type of misdemeanor and is punishable...