Local wildland firefighter saves homes from 60-acre wildfire in Madison County
By Marc Liverman
Click here for updates on this story
MADISON COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A wildland firefighter is sharing his story after being on the frontline of a nearly 60-acre wildfire in Madison County earlier this week.
“It got real close. Up on my neighbor’s houses for sure. It was coming down the mountain quickly,” Eric Love Slaughter said.
So, he did what he does best.
“Got my fire boots on and my chainsaw and just started marching into the forest,” Slaughter said.
The wildland firefighter just happens to live in the area and was nearby when flames started raging through the forest above his neighbors’ homes.
“It was coming down the mountain quick, but, thankfully, the wind was blowing up, so you know it wasn’t as quick as it could have been,” Slaughter said.
But, it was close enough he had to work fast. The wildfire was almost 60 acres and burning off East Fork Road, not far from the Tennessee line in Madison County.
The flames spread fast because of the wind and steep terrain.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina Forest Service was also on scene Tuesday, forming a line along a separate ridge. They were working to protect more than a dozen structures. As the fire grew, it got dangerously close.
Slaughter started working on his own along a separate ridge.
“I just wanted to put in enough girth to protect my neighbors’ homes. Ten minutes later, I got, like, a troop of three people behind me, and we’re just putting out the fire line, laying it down, putting out the fire and taking care of our homes like that,” he said.
In the end, not a single home was damaged. Like so many of the other firefighters battling the flames, Love worked tirelessly through the night: a humble hero just happy to help.
“Next thing I know, my neighbors are coming up behind me and they’re like, ‘What’s going on, thank you so much.’ I was up until 1 in the morning, and the next day at work was really challenging. But it was worth it because it felt right,” Slaughter said.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
