Family hopes for fresh start after Fayette County brush fire

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ)- Tuesday evening’s rain comes as a blessing to a family whose Fayette County farm land quickly burnt up in a brush fire Tuesday evening. Firefighters knew rain was coming, but they could not wait for it. Had they waited, the fire could have destroyed two barns, a house, and a chance for a fresh start.

A February brush fire in Fayette County is rare,  but so is a 72 degree day. That is part of what firefighters blame for the stubborn fire they estimate scorched between 10 to 12 acres.

“It’s been a little bit dry. The wind was blowing pretty good so what probably started as something pretty small ended up being a wind-driven outside fire,” Lexington Fire Battalion Chief Mark Harvey said.

Harvey says crews found three fires, including one that jumped the road. With two barns and a home in danger, firefighters could not wait for rain.

“It’s not going to rain near quick enough for us to count on that as help for us,” Harvey said.

“I thought that it was all gone. That was fear that he had just gotten it to start something with and it was gone up in smoke,” Terry Currens said.

She says her son, Austin, owns part of the land, land that has been in the family for four generations. She says he dreams of building a cabin on the land and moving out of Lexington, something she badly wants for him since his father recently died.

“This is him. He knows how to survival [sic] and everything. It would mean a lot to him to get there,” Currens said.

Now, she just hopes her son will be able to follow through with his plans. She says perhaps the fire will make the soil more fertile.

“Because he doesn’t have his father anymore, it would make my heart happy to see him happy because he needs some happiness,” Currens said.

Like a phoenix rising from ashes, she says this fire might just help Austin get his fresh start.

Jessamine County Fire and the Forest Service were also both out at the fire Tuesday. Crews say rain will hopefully reinforce the work they did, putting out any remaining hot spots.