Another Driftwood Fire at Dismal Bridge

For the second time since September, someone has set a fire which spread to the debris and driftwood underneath the Dismal bridge on the Alexandria to Dismal Road over Smith Fork Creek
Central dispatch received the call at 5:10 a.m. this morning (Wednesday)
County Fire Chief Donny Green said members of the Main Station and the Liberty and Cookeville Highway stations rushed to the scene upon receiving the call and when they arrived, firefighters found a blaze coming from under the bridge. “We found where three campfires had been set near the bridge and it appeared one of them spread to the debris underneath the bridge. A witness who was at the creek fishing overnight saw a suspicious vehicle in the area. We have a description of that vehicle and the Sheriff’s Department is investigating at this time,” said Chief Green.
Green said this bridge poses a particular problem with accumulating debris. “As we get heavy rainfall the debris comes up under the bridge and accumulates. A fire like this can then cause a lot of damage to the bridge. It also causes a lot of problems for us (firefighters) because we have trouble getting to it with our equipment. We do have a floating pump that we set up this morning to get water out of the creek to extinguish the fire,” said Chief Green.
Road Supervisor Kenny Edge, who was also on the scene, said he will contact the Tennessee Department of Transportation, who may have to inspect the bridge to determine if there is any structural damage.
The bridge remains open.