Slash and burn

Pine Haven burned the slash pile south of the maintenance shop Sunday with five firemen on site to ensure a clean and safe burn of the approximately 14-foot high, 25-30-foot wide and nearly 60-foot long mound. The blaze was set at 9:15 a.m. and, after the flames settled, the pile continued to smolder through Tuesday. Pine Haven Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief Don Lancaster said of the entire endeavor, "We got a nice clean burn and the pile was burned down to where there was mostly just ash left by noon [Monday]."

The fire crew flattened the mound out to find only a few smoldering spots that were subsequently completely extinguished late Tuesday.

With the pile clear of "hot spots", Lancaster said the site will be reopened for slash disposal.

"We had really good weather for burning," the assistant fire chief stated.

"There are a few spots in town that might have gotten a little bit smoky, but this time of the year, the air's a little heavy so it tends to hold the smoke down a little more, but all in all, everything went exactly as planned."