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Large Blaze In Blackshear 95% Contained

10 Fire Departments Called To Battle Fire

POSTED: Tuesday, April 28, 2009
UPDATED: 1:13 pm EDT April 29, 2009

Firefighters from 10 fire departments were called in to battle a large structure fire Tuesday evening in Blackshear, Ga., about 10 miles outside Waycross.

By 11 p.m., the fire was 95 percent contained. Firefighters continued putting out hot spots until 3 a.m. Wednesday.

According to an emergency dispatcher in Blackshear, firefighters were called to put out a fire at an abandoned shoe manufacturing plant off Highway 84. The building has most recently been used as a flea market.

"We've had 10 stations throughout our community and other counties that have had to come to respond due to the large nature of the fire," said Blackshear Fire Department Chief Chris Wright. "Also, the EMS units have been tied up. Both the Blackshear Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff's Office had to be called out also for traffic and having to shut down a major highway in our area."

That warehouse was the only structure destroyed, however, fire officials said 150 yards of wooded area behind the building also caught fire and threatened several homes.

A fire within city limits is particularly concerning to local officials because it puts multiple buildings at risk.

"At one point, we had about 10 houses that are about 200 yards through the woods, and the fire was drifting toward those houses. Locally, there's a city driveway that goes through there that kind of served as a fire break for us, and we were able to get in there and stop the fire from going farther," Wright said.

The fire chief also told Channel 4 one firefighter became overheated while working but the firefighter was not seriously injured.

The cause of the blaze remains unknown.
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