Prescribed Fire Burning Wednesday on Price Mill Road

About 150 acres are being burned as a hazard reduction and to provide a wildlife benefit.

If you see smoke Wednesday coming from the Price Mill Road area, it's likely attributed to a prescribed fire, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission. Jason McCannon of J&M Forestry said the purpose is to burn understory for hazard reduction and also to provide a wildlife benefit.  The prescribed fire today covers about 150 acres, he said, and will be completed by the afternoon. The Georgia Forestry Commission's website says prescribed fires, which are conducted by trained practitioners, are safe ways to apply a natural process and reduce the risk of wildfires.

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News Nearby: Monroe Family Loses Home to Fire

One patient was treated at the scene for lacerations from broken glass. No firefighters were injured.

Walton County firefighters responded to a fire at 2140 Old Baccus Road in Monroe at about 12:19 pm Monday, according to Walton County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Craig League. He said the fire was already well involved prior to firefighters being dispatched. "Firefighters were hampered by high winds, no fire hydrants in the area, and also the age of the house," League said, adding that the house was completely destroyed by the fire." For the complete story and more photos, see Monroe Patch.

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Oconee County Sheriff's Office Crime Report

Burning Bushes Possibly Caused by Firework

A Meriweather Drive resident was notified by a neighbor late Friday night that his bushes were on fire.

A sleeping resident of the 1200 block on Meriweather Drive on Friday night was alerted by a neighbor that his bushes in his front yard were on fire. The man told Oconee County Sheriff's deputies that around 11:30 p.m. he and the neighbor used a garden hose to douse the flames.  While inspecting the damage the following morning, the man says he found remnants of "some type of firework device." Also that morning, about 7.5 miles away, deputies responded to a home in the 1000 block of Oconee Crossing Circle, where a man reported his mailbox had been damaged. The man found remnants of a "large firework device," the deputy wrote in the report. Both incidents are under investigation.  Contact the Sheriff's Office at (706)- 769-3945 with any …

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News Nearby: Fires Damage Barrow County Homes

One fire was determined to have been caused by improper disposal of a cigarette.

Barrow County Emergency Services were dispatched to several fires that damaged homes this week. Just before 5 p.m. Tuesday they received a 911 call reporting a fire in the 100 block of Alicia Drive. Upon arrival of firefighters, fire was found in the garage and had extended into the attic. Firefighters started an aggressive attack and kept the fire from spreading further into the house.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.  At 4:13 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, communication officers received a 911 call reporting a structure fire in the 600 block of Cavern Springs. The fire investigation team determined the cause of the fire was improper disposal of a cigarette, which ignited pine straw that was around the foundation of the home. …

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Lots of Excitement ... But NO Explosions

Homeowners find dynamite in corner of an old shed.

Joe Benkoski and his brother have been working on dismantling the old shed for a week or more. With a roof that has been sinking and sides that have been warped for years, they have been taking down the boards while sorting through wood, remnants and stored goods to see what was salvagable and what was trash. Monday, while moving some old furniture stacked in a corner, they came across a box of dynamite. About 20 sticks of dynamite. Enough to make a noticeable difference in the landscape if detonated. The home is referred to as the Harrison homeplace, built in around 1940. Mimi Tarpley-Benkoski spent lots of time there when her grandmother lived in the house and she and Joe moved there about 20 years ago. Lots of acreage and outbuildings …

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Regional Roundup

Regional Roundup: Car Dealership Destroyed by Fire, Inmate Found with Handcuff Key in His Mouth, and Mayor's Home Burglarized

A look at top headlines from Patch sites across northeast Georgia.

Cumming Car Dealership Destroyed by Fire Sunday – Cumming Patch A raging fire destroyed U.S. Auto Sales on Atlanta Road (Highway 9) in Cumming Sunday afternoon, producing a cloud of black smoke that could be seen across Georgia 400 between exits 14 and 15. No one was injured in the fire, according to Battalion Chief Jimmy Hildebrand of the Forsyth County Fire Department. It is unknown when the fire was first reported, but Cumming Patch was on the scene shortly after 1 p.m. At that time flames were consuming the structure and when firefighters had the blaze under control, at least 14 vehicles were destroyed.   Inmate Found with Handcuff Key in His Mouth -- Lawrenceville Patch An inmate at the Gwinnett County Detention Center somehow got a …

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Oconee Chicken Coop Fire Makes Two in One Afternoon

20,000 chickens have their feathers ruffled.

The Oconee County Fire Department was busy today, extinguishing two fires within a matter of hours. The second fire broke out around 4 p.m. along the side of a chicken house in the 2700 block of Greensboro Highway. Mike Link, Watkinsville station chief, said farmhands were throwing buckets of water on the blaze at the time firefighters arrived. “They were lucky it didn't burn the whole house down,” Link said, adding he was uncertain exactly how the fire ignited. The owner of the property, Charles Osborn, was across the street when a neighbor called to inform him sirens were coming from the chicken house. His first thought: How much he might lose if the chickens, which are scheduled to be shipped out next Monday, were harmed from the fire…

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Watkinsville PD Blotter

Officers responded to a traffic accident with injuries and answered numerous calls related to the severe thunderstorms.

In his weekly press release, Watkinsville Police Chief Lee O'Dillon recapped some of the incidents that police responded to during the week ending March 27. Watkinsville police responded to a total of 36 calls within city limits between Monday, March 21  and Sunday, March 27, O'Dillon said.

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Fire Engulfs Abandoned House

Motorists on Highway 316 near the 4700 Mars Hill Road location could see smoke billowing into the sky starting around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

At least 30 volunteer firefighters from four stations responded to a fire at an abandoned house located at 4700 Mars Hill Road near Highway 316 around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Oconee County Fire Chief Bruce Thaxton said by the time the first station arrived, the roof had already collapsed and the fire was fully engulfed. A motorist had called 911. "When a property is abandoned and fully engulfed, we usually make the decision to let it burn out," he said.  "It's easier for the owner to clean up that way." No one was injured, and there were no nearby structures threatened by the blaze. Firefighters monitored trees and grass to ensure the fire did not spread. Firefighters would remain on the scene until it was safe to leave and allow the fire to …

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