Units from the Tappahannock-Essex Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched last week on two occasions to the LaGrange Industrial Park to extinguish an astro turf fire that reignited. The first incident occurred on April 15 when an Essex deputy sheriff noticed smoke coming from the facility and reported it to the 911 Dispatch Center, according to Fire Chief Paul Richardson. The blaze was controlled with mutual aid assistance provided by other counties, Richardson said. Three days later, a brush truck was dispatched to the site when a small section of the material rekindled, the fire chief said. “Hopefully, we now have that under control and Mr. (Travis) Parker will finish removing the rest of it,” Richardson said. The original astro turf blaze occurred February 18 and rekindled four days later. The fire chief said it is difficult to determine the expense of the calls, but noted “diesel fuel isn’t cheap.” Also, he said the matter has been referred to the Department of Environmental Quality which will determine if any enforcement action should be taken.
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