Alamance County, NC - A transformer from a duke power pole ignited a grass fire along Perry Rd in Eli Whitney Monday afternoon. A resident on Perry Road told us that they came outside and seen the fire coming along the road from the direction of the downed pole.

Click for more photos

The fire spread along Perry Road, into a corn field. Firefighters from Eli Whitney, Snow Camp, Swepsonville, EM Holt, North Chatham, White Cross, Silk Hope and Faucette Fire Department all were on scene to assist get the fire under control.

Several forest service officials where there and they used their plow and a single prop plane for aerial reconnaissance.  Around 70 fire fighters were on scene with a total fleet of 12 brush trucks, 8 tankers, and 2 engines. 

Incident Command was established by Eli Whitney 517 on Perry Rd just north of the fire's origin. 

EMS staging included transport unit 114, Medic 1, Rescue 2008, and manpower.

The fire spread so quickly that it burned the leaves and ears off all the corn stalks but left the stalks standing.  The fire spread through several acres of corn before reaching a nearby wooded area thick with underbrush and foliage. 

Once the initial corn field fire was subdued Forest service concentrated its efforts on the wooded area where they brought in their plow and made an 8 ft wide fire line in the middle of the woods running parallel to the wood line. 

At one point late in the afternoon the fire line broke and the fire started advancing through the woods where it then threatened several properties and homes; one valued at or around $1 million.  However some fire personnel were staged on the other side of the woods protecting those properties should the fire make it over the fire line like it did.  

 Special thanks to "treee65" for the awesome update.