DIXON, Ky. (WEHT) — On Monday night, a massive fire in Webster County left several mobile homes, over two dozen old vehicles and a pole barn destroyed. Bone Stone, the property owner, says he went outside to burn smelly trash and owes his life to a racoon.
“Looked like the fire was out, so I went and I laid back down because I was sick. I heard a noise out in the garage, and I went out there. It was a ‘coon that I’ve been trying to catch for three or four weeks. He kept cutting into my food and stuff. Well, I picked him up. I went to the door and that’s when the fire done started,” said Stone.
The Poole Fire Department and Rescue, the Dixon Fire Department and several other agencies say they spent four hours working to get the fire contained.
The fire stretched across 4 acres.
“Just cause you’ve had a rain or two, does not always mean it’s wet enough to burn. Don’t discount sunlight and wind. It will absolutely carry embers, flying debris. With so much foliage and leaves on the ground and dead plants, once that fire gets moving it will move fast,” says Brian Reynolds, the fire chief at the Poole Fire Department and Rescue.
Tuesday morning, the Kentucky Division of Forestry was able to step in as things continued to produce smoke and flames. Officials say there are burning regulations in place for the safety of the environment and human beings alike. Typical regulations include burning of forests, leaves or open pit cooking.
Further restrictions include local laws and county burn bans, which are issued by the county judge executive.
They say no one was hurt and all items damaged belonged to Stone.
Officials say the cause of fire is still under investigation but believe the fire may have started with a burn barrel.
“[The raccoon] was still in the cage right there by the hottest part of the fire and he was still alive, so I let him go because he saved my life,’ says Stone.
