Earlier this week Opelika Fire responded to a large woods fire in the area surrounding Grand National.
The city issued a press release on Wedneday, regarding the incident.
“On October 22, at approximately 12:00 p.m., the Opelika Fire Department started receiving calls about a large woods fire in the Grand National area. The City of Opelika dispatched Engine 3 and Battalion 1 to investigate and found the source of the fire to be a large tract prescribed burn that was permitted to a contractor by the Alabama Forestry Commission. As the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), the Opelika Fire Department permit process supersedes the permit that was given yesterday. The City of Opelika has been on a Burn Ban since September 30 in conjunction with an Alabama Forestry Commission issued Fire Advisory and the city will remain under it until the advisory is lifted”, said the City of Opelika in a press release.
“When there is a Fire Advisory issued, the Opelika Fire Department goes one step further and issues a Burn Ban as an extra precaution. The city is working closely with the Alabama Forestry Commission to prevent this from happening in the future”, added the city.