VHFD battles major brush fire off I-459 at Acton Road

The Vestavia Hills Fire Department battled a major brush fire Thursday afternoon along with Birmingham, Rocky Ridge and Cahaba Valley fire departments.

The fire burned the median of I-459.

Lieutenant Ryan Farrell with VHFD said the initial call came in about the fire around 3 p.m., and that while the firefighters were able to get the perimeter under control initially, the center of the area continued to burn for quite a while. He said that windy conditions caused the fire to reignite in patches, making it hard to completely put out.

Rocky Ridge Assistant Chief Michael Bartlett said the fire was caused by sparks coming off the rims of a vehicle due to the motorist driving with a flat tire. Those sparks set six initial fires between the Liberty Park and Acton Road exits.

The interstate was not completely closed at the time, but Farrell said multiple lanes of traffic were being affected, and that traffic was snarled in both directions.

Farrell said the drought conditions the area has been facing were making fighting the fire difficult.

"It's extremely dry, extremely windy," Farrell said.

On Wednesday, the Birmingham Water Works Board issued a Stage-3 Drought Warning because of continued dry conditions throughout the Birmingham metro area.

Thursday morning, the U.S. Drought Monitor had the majority of Jefferson and Shelby Counties in an "extreme" and long-term drought.

The forecast for Thursday evening included rain from a line of storms moving through with a cold front, which Farrell said should mitigate some of the fire threat.

However, Farrell encouraged people to use extreme caution with anything that might cause a fire, especially smoking materials such as cigarettes. 

"Just be aware," Farrell said, "Don't throw anything out the window, make sure it's out when you dispose of it."

Bartlett said people should also avoid driving with flat tires, and motorists parking in grass areas should be aware if their catalytic converter is over-heating, which can cause a fire to start.

He also said to call 911 immediately at the sign of any fire, as conditions cause fires to get out of control quickly.

This is a developing story. Vestavia Voice will continue to update as information becomes available. This story was updated at 7:30 p.m. with information from Bartlett.