From the Crockett County Sheriff’s Department:
At 11:52am, our dispatch center received a call requesting fire departments to respond to Safari Park for a grass fire.
Our dispatch center immediately paged three fire departments to respond. Due to the dry conditions and the gusty winds all fire departments in the county were requested to respond.
As fire command was established, Gibson, Haywood, and Dyer Counties along with Forestry, TDOT, Crockett County Rescue Squad, and THP were requested for mutual aid.
Highway 412 was closed for a period of time due to fire and limited visibility due to smoke.
The fire was contained and under control at 12:46pm and Highway 412 has been reopened.
This is the second fire for today and accidents do happen. However, please remember a burn ban is in effect for Crockett County. You can help us by being extra careful by not burning until conditions improve.
Approximately 40 acres were involved and no animals were hurt. Thank you to all the departments for helping with this suppression effort.
As of 1:12 p.m., the Tennessee Safari Park reported that everyone at the park and all animals were safe. The fire occurred on the exhibit side of the property.
