NELSON COUNTY, Ky. — Friday afternoon, around 1:30PM Nelson County Fire and Rescue along with other leading agencies, were dispatched to a brush fire near the Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown.
Captain Brian Carnell, with Nelson County Fire and Rescue said when his crew arrived on scene, they were met with a rapidly approaching fire which was nearing a barn.
In under three hours, crews had the brush fire under control. The cause of the fire was attributed to the dry conditions and a passing, popular attraction, the Bardstown Dinner Train.
Carnell said he thinks “it’s just the sparks from the train carts themselves, going down the tracks” that started the fire.
While no one was hurt, Nelson County now joins other counties in issuing a burn ban.
Carnell warns people to never throw out cigarette butts in these conditions, saying cigarettes can cause severe damage, including large fires and potentially putting people’s lives at risk.
Carnell also said, the only legal thing to burn is “natural vegetation such as: storm debris, sticks, limbs, leaves,” but absolutely, “no plastics or synthetic materials.”
If you do decide to burn anything during these conditions, Carnell warns to have a viable water source by you and to only do so, in large open areas -- never around trees, a house, tall grass or wheat.
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