JEFFERSON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — More than 24 hours after fires first sparked in Jefferson County, dry and windy conditions have continued to cause problems.
Crews spent many hours on Tuesday working to contain an ongoing fire that was ablaze off Highway 54.
"Seeing the tall flames and everything, I knew it was fixing to be bad, but I just didn't know how bad it was going to be," Shawn Evans, a volunteer firefighter at Highway 15 Fire Department.
We first saw how intense the flames were on Monday night.
"I've been in the department a little over five years and this is the worst one I've ever seen," Evans added.
He wasted no time in getting up close and personal to help fight the blaze.
"The main thing is to protect the structures. They said it's fixing to get hot [and] it's fixing to get bad," Evans said.
Multiple crews from nearby counties also pitched in and helped save at least three homes that were in the path of danger.
Evans said that oftentimes, smaller trucks like what his department has have been used to help supply water for bigger fire engines.
The volunteer fire department put their trucks to the test as they worked to fight the blaze on Monday.
"We stretched about a 1,000-foot line out between two hoses," Evans explained.
The area affected on Highway 54 was the largest of three fires.
Arkansas Forestry leaders said the other two fires happened along Highway 79.
As of Tuesday afternoon, they believe that at least 500 acres were burned.
"We've got sustained winds of about 20 miles an hour and some gusts of winds in the neighborhood of 40 miles per hour," Joe Fox, Arkansas State Forester said.
He also explained that the windy and dry tree debris will only continue to make matters worse.
"We still have stumps, snags, and other things burning piles of fuel basically," Fox added.
Crews were on the ground on Tuesday on bulldozers and helped to create fire lines.
Fox said that is a method that crews typically use to help stop the spread of the fire.
Firefighters and forestry workers have worked since noon on Monday and they expect to be working in the area for the next few days.
Evans said he is hopeful that conditions will improve, but he'll also spend time preparing for a worst-case scenario.
"We're just trying to get restocked and pray the good Lord that people just don't burn [and] the fire line don't jump the line anymore," Evans said.
The Watson Chapel Volunteer Fire Department said that someone burning trash is what caused the fire near Highway 79— Forestry leaders said the cause of the fire there is unknown and an investigation will begin once the fire is out.
Windy conditions also kept the department from being able to use planes to help extinguish the blaze.