09/11/2026
I’ve heard several versions of an incident we responded to yesterday, so I’ll make a statement to clear it up for everyone. Yesterday at approximately 1:43 pm Melbourne Fire Department was dispatched to a grass fire near Jacob’s Ln and Pine Hill St. It was immediately recognized that due to dry conditions there would be multiple structures threatened by this fast moving fire. While man power limited, Melbourne Fire Department made a quick response and began protecting structures with fire immediately threatening them on Pine Hill St. With rapidly deteriorating conditions, assistance was requested from Arkansas Forestry Commission, Mount Pleasant FD, Zion FD, and Pineville FD. All of these agencies responded to the scene and assisted us in containing and extinguishing this fire. This fire did jump Jacob’s Ln in a few spots, but was quickly extinguished in yards with no serious property damage. The fire burned approximately 20 acres of grass and wooded area. No structures or vehicles were damaged by this fire. The fire did crown in some pine trees and put off some dark smoke. No firefighters or civilians were injured during this incident. The fire was ignited by a tractor and cutter cutting hay. The individuals cutting hay made a diligent effort to stop the fire and assisted throughout the incident. I would like to personally thank all agencies that assisted with this incident. On a side note, we did have to deal with people trying to drive and walk through the area while we were actively fighting this fire. Please avoid trying to drive, or walk by emergency scenes, as it only complicates the situation and hinders our ability to address the situation.
