JASPER COUNTY Mo. - Wildfires continue to rage across the Ozarks. In Jasper County, a home was damaged and 15 acres of land burned along with it.

The fire broke out north of La Russel, which is about 35 miles east of Joplin. Multiple emergency services responded, including the Avilla Fire Department. Chief Tim Gunter says while there was some damage, it did not take crews long to get the flames under control. 

“Probably about 45 minutes or so before we got it knocked down or made headway of everything. We had a crew up there working on the house while we had some crews out here,” says Gunter. 

During the fire, flames reached heights of six feet, burning trees and hay bales. One family that lives in the area tells Ozarksfirst they fought off spot fires with garden hoses.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but Chief Gunter emphasizes the importance of not burning anything while conditions are this dry. 

“Make sure they're not burning trash, not even in the trash barrel. A lot of places have trash barrels. They're burning trash. Yeah, well, the embers go up, they fall across the road and then fall on somebody’s house or barn or whatever else. So really, nobody should be burning right now at all,” says Gunter. 

Strong winds were also a factor in how fast the fire spread before crews were able to stop it. 

News Source : https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/local-news/home-damaged-in-jasper-county-wildfires/