DANVILLE, Va. – A downed power line sparked a brush fire that blackened six acres off North Main Street Wednesday afternoon.

The Danville Fire Department was called to a possible structure fire on Ida Street just before 3 p.m. Firefighters arrived in two minutes and found smoke coming from a wooded area between American Legion Blvd. and Clarksville Rd. along an AEP power line right-of-way.

The fire was off the road and firefighters used a brush truck and side-by-side to get manpower and water to the blaze. The Virginia Department of Forestry  responded with a bulldozer and additional firefighters. A tanker truck was needed to ferry more water to the site and firefighters remained on scene for six hours.

The Danville Lifesaving Crew used a drone to monitor the fire from above.

The fire started around a broken power line and spread quickly. AEP replaced the downed line and forestry officials and the fire department will be monitoring the situation closely on Thursday.

(Photo: Ken Warrick)