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MURFREESBORO – A dilapidated house, more than a century old, was fully engulfed in flames from a brush fire on Jan. 20.

The fire occurred a little before 3:30 p.m. on Eleytown Road outside of Murfreesboro.

Murfreesboro Fire Chief Harrison Revelle told the News Herald that they had originally been dispatched for a brush fire adjacent to the unoccupied old homestead, but by the time they arrived on scene a few minutes later, the fire had spread.

“It had already made its way across the yard and got into the back of the house,” Revelle explained. “In about three to four minutes, it was fully engulfed. It was already through the roof and out the front door.”

The Murfreesboro department received aid from Como, Winton, and Union fire departments as well as assistance from county EMS, Emergency Management, and the NC Forest Service. Revelle thanked everyone for the help in getting the fire under control.

“Luckily, nobody was injured. We were able to get it out and contain it before spreading further to anything else,” he reported.

Revelle said many local fire departments have been busy this time of year, especially due to weather conditions that can make fires spread more quickly.

“Even though we’ve had rain and the ground is moist, when you have low humidity and higher winds, it dries stuff out on top like sticks and twigs and leaves,” he explained.

For those who want to burn debris this time of year, Revelle advised people to be careful and take precautions to keep fires contained. He said people should keep fires monitored at all times and have a water source available. By law, he said, people are only allowed to burn natural products such as tree limbs and other yard debris. Citations can be issued for burning processed materials.

Most importantly, Revelle also urged people to check with NC Forest Service to make sure no ban burns are in place.