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THURSDAY. JUNE 23. 2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
Small brushfire in west Pickens continues
to pop up, but “no need for alarm,” says chief
A Georgia Forestry Commission helicopter dumps water
onto a slow-moving fire in the remote Sharp Mountain
area. This photo was taken from Firetower Road looking
west towards the Jerusalem community.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Tuesday at press time, fire
crews were still dealing with
a small, remote brushfire that
broke out Sunday, June 19.
The fire in the Sharp Moun
tain area was thought to be
contained at times, but
popped back up Monday and
again Tuesday.
By Tuesday morning the
Georgia Forestry Commis
sion had been called for a
second time. Winds picked
up mid-afternoon and
“pushed the fire some,” but
Pickens Fire Chief Tim
Prather stressed it was very
slow moving and does not
pose a threat. The impacted
area is between 1-2 acres.
“People don’t need to be
alarmed,” he said. “The
problem is the terrain is
steep; it’s hard to get equip
ment in there, but the big
dogs are here and hope to get
it out today.”
He added that green veg
etation helps keep the fire
from spreading more quickly.
Crews were originally
dispatched to the Henderson
Mountain and Jerusalem
Church Road area at approx
imately 1:30 p.m. June 19.
Smoke could be seen, but
crews were not able to locate
the fire at first as it was “all
in the wilderness” and “way
off the beaten path.” The
blaze was later pinpointed to
Firetower Road near Sharp
Mountain.
Pickens Fire & Rescue
crews were not able to access
the remote area with their
equipment, so Georgia
Forestry Commission was re
quested. Pickens crews pro
vided assistance with their
AT Vs by transporting per
sonnel and equipment.
The fire was originally
thought to be contained at ap
proximately 8 p.m. Sunday
evening, but Monday after
noon nearby residents con
tacted emergency crews
concerned it was out of con
trol again. The fire was
thought to be contained as of
6:30 that evening, but crews
were called out again the fol
lowing morning, June 21.
It is suspected the fire was
the result of an illegal bum.
The Summer Open Bum Ban
runs from May 1 through
September 30 and includes
54 counties in Georgia in
cluding Pickens. The Open
Burning Ban prohibits citi
zens and businesses from
burning yard and land-clear
ing debris.
There have been no in
juries and no structures dam
aged, and as of Tuesday
morning no structures were
in danger.
photo/Pickens Fire & Rescue
A GoFundMe and Amazon list has been set up for David
and Becky Key after their house burned to the ground.
GoFundMe set up
for Key family
after house burns
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Family of David and
Becky Key have set up
fundraisers after a fire de
stroyed the couple’s Grand-
view-area house on June 12.
The house and everything in
side were total losses.
“David and Becky, with
all of their sweat equity, per
sonally built their place in
1988 from the ground
up...They were finally want
ing to slow down and work
on long awaited projects be
fore the fire happened,”
wrote daughter-in-law
Melissa Key. “My prayer is
that this relief fund will help
ease some of the challenges
they will face moving for
ward and to help support
them in rebuilding their lives
(currently with purchasing
gas, food, clothes, shoes,
tools and necessities that
they immediately need).”
Search “David and Becky
Key’s Fire Relief Fund” on
GoFundMe, and find their
Amazon list under David and
Becky Key.
PACAjoms the fun downtown
Pickens Arts and Cultural Alliance
(PACA) joined Jasper’s June Second Satur
day event in the new children’s section.
Under the leadership of Main Streets’s
Mountain City Church, PACA offered kids
the opportunity to make animal masks.
The cute masks soon became popular with
both parents and children using them as fancy
fans to cool off on the warm evening.
A bouncy house, chalk sidewalk drawing,
and face painting were also big hits for kids
of all ages.
Who’s the face behind that orange monkey in the cowboy hat? Artist Quinn Watkins who
also revealed his cute face painting. All photos courtesy of PACA
Dad Mike Carignan, proudly stands by
his son, Ian who was for sure the cutest
frog in town.
Wesley Milks, 4, worked carefully for
30 minutes producing a beautiful rain
bow of colors around his lion’s mask.
Lola Burruss made an excellent lion mask
as mother Lindsey Burruss and grand
mother Linda Barnes watched. Lindsey,
who is the vice president of marketing and
media with Cobb Travel and Tourism, gave
the Jasper event a big thumbs up.
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