September 25, 2015 - The Center Fire Department fought a grass fire on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 on CR 1045, which upon arrival of firemen was dangerously close to a chicken house.
A passerby on the roadway witnessed flames emitting from Hughes chicken farm just under 1 1/2 miles from State Highway 7 West and reported the fire to The Shelby County Sheriff's Department. West Shelby Volunteer Fire Department (WSVFD) was first to be dispatched to the fire; however, it was not in their coverage area. Once this was determined, the WSVFD was canceled and the Center Fire Department was dispatched to the fire.
When the firemen arrived, smoke billowed into the sky and across the roadway where flames appeared to be reaching out to get to the other side. While a grass truck was driven onto the property to investigate the origination of the flames that had traveled to the road, another group of firemen began extinguishing the fire beside the road.
Fire had traveled through a hay meadow very close to a chicken house and the flames were extinguished before they could catch on to the building. The remaining fire was contained to a large cluster of round hay bales, which were at the top of a hill. After the firemen doused the bales of hay with water, an individual on the property dragged the bales from their location to the middle of the field where the firemen further drenched them with water.
The cause of the fire was not known, but the danger presented by the fire was a good example of why the county remains under a burn ban to this date.
