Wild brush fire flares up near Roswell homes

ROSWELL, Ga. — Fire crews are monitoring a brush fire they described as the size of three or four football fields on Jones Road in Roswell.

Firefighters said the flames have burned through acres of land on Jones Road, but no homes nearby are in danger.

Roswell Fire Department Chief Ricky Spencer said reports from people seeing the flames in the woods behind their homes started coming in at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

"We saw some flames that just was very much in a straight line," witness John Bertelson told Channel 2's Carl Willis. "You know how in the winter time in the ski slopes, they have torches going (along) the ski slopes? That was what it looked like because it was very much in a line."

Bertelson said that's when he called 911.

When the first engine from the Roswell Fire Department arrived, they said the fire was consuming three to five acres of land and that it formed a line of flames that stretched about three football fields long.

"It was like there was a flame every three or four feet," Bertelson said.

Crews set up on Jones Road, but quickly realized they couldn't get anywhere close to the fire with their trucks.

"The crews went back in with hand tools, rakes and raked a fire break around the fire, and it is contained right now and we also have requested a Georgia Forestry tractor to come out," Roswell Fire Department Chief Ricky Spencer said.

With the help of the Georgia Forestry tractor, he said crews will be able to cut a five-foot break around the brush fire to keep it contained. But that meant they had to let it burn throughout the night.

"I was surprised it was going to burn that long," Bertelson said.

"We know we're going to get some more calls tonight, people are going to smell the smoke, it's going to lay across the road here. We're just going to assure everyone that we have it under control and we'll be back tomorrow to take care of it at first break," Spencer said Saturday night.

Channel 2's Amanda Cook, who returned to the scene early Sunday, said fire officials said there's no evidence that suggests the fire was caused by arson. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

http://bcove.me/bu1apz25

Channel 2's Amanda Cook and Carl Willis contributed to this report.

WSBTV