Fire burns grass off face of Greenbelt Dam

A cutting torch is being blamed for a fire that burned the grass off the Greenbelt Dam last Thursday.

Sources say a workman with the crew in charge of dismantling the old bridge below the dam on State Highway 70 caused sparks that ignited the dry grass. Flames spread up the face of the dam, and a north wind drove the fire to the south. The blaze also jumped the highway at one point.

Clarendon and Howardwick firemen worked together for five to six hours to contain the fire, according to Clarendon First Fire Chief Jeremy Powell.

Greenbelt Water Authority General Manager Bobbie Kidd said the only way to get the blaze under control was to set another fire on the north end of the dam.

“You can’t drive a fire truck up that steep slope,” Kidd said.

Officials were also concerned that fire-fighting equipment might damage the sprinkler system on the dam.

Kidd said a dollar estimate has not been set for the damage from last week’s fire, and it’s unknown whether the heat harmed any portion of the sprinkler system. For now, the water authority is hoping to get the grass reestablished to prevent damage to the dam itself.

“If we get a big rain without grass on it, we could get a wash in the dam and have to repair it,” Kidd said. “We’ll probably start watering it to prevent that.”

Powell said the fire burned an estimated 70 acres.

With still no appreciable precipitation, a countywide burn ban remains in effect in Donley County.