COLUMBIANA COUNTY, Ohio — A brush fire on Malone Road in Salineville early Wednesday spread across dry land and burned nearly 12 acres before being brought under control.

The fire, which started around 05:00 in the morning, kept the teams busy throughout the day and was extinguished around 18:30.

“He was here with his ODNR crew and he pulled a bulldozer over,” Highlandtown Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremiah Cole said. “We had a total of 55 firefighters on scene.”

Cole said about 12 acres burned, according to ODNR trackers. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

“The wind changed direction on us a few times, but the dry leaves on top are very flammable,” Cole said. “The wind drives the fire on the leaves and we chase it all day long.”

Cole noted that layers of peat moss on the ground contributed significantly to the persistence of the fire.

“The fire actually got under us and was burning the moss,” Cole said. “You put it in one spot and it reappears a meter away. We dug most of the 12 acres by hand.”

Although Columbiana County is on the edge of a burn ban, Cole asks residents to follow burn ban rules as if you were in the designated area. This includes not burning outdoor rubbish from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“This is a very important example,” Cole said. “We now have 55 firefighters who spend all day, 13 hours a day. We are all volunteers. We spent time away from our jobs and families. There are a few injuries. I had to send two firefighters out of here in an ambulance. There were minor injuries, they were treated really easily, but we used common sense.

In many counties in Ohio, outdoor burning is prohibited in unincorporated areas during October and November. Be sure to check all state and local regulations before starting a fire, especially given the extreme drought conditions affecting many parts of Ohio this fall.