Emergency crews in Lincoln County faced a challenge this morning as they responded to an extensive grass fire near the town of Carney. Footage captured by McIntyre Chopper 4 and shared by KFOR illustrated the severity of the situation, with a large swath of land visibly scorched and veils of heavy smoke permeating the air while firefighters endeavored to quell the fierce flames.
In a turn of events revealing the fire's sinister origins, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office disclosed that homemade explosives were the catalyst. According to a report by 1011 NOW, deputies and Southeast Rural Fire and Rescue, having responded just after 11 p.m., managed to suppress the blaze before it could ravage nearby structures. Chief Deputy Ben Houchin, having found at least three homemade explosives that were used to initiate the conflagration, acknowledged the lesser wind conditions for mitigating the spread: "It didn't burn horribly. It didn't get any structures or anything like that."
Additionally, in a display of nature's volatile artistry amid chaos, so-called "ash tornadoes" formed as a result of the intense blazes and wind interactions. As depicted in footage from Sky 5 Pilot Chase Rutledge and reported by KOCO, these spirals of ash danced across the fields before dissipating at a tree line. "This gives you an idea of what winds are like down there. That thing's just blowing across the field," Rutledge observed of the phenomenon that, despite its intriguing form, signaled the tumultuous conditions on the ground.
The investigation into the homemade explosives continues, with authorities withholding details on the devices.
