RINGGOLD, Va. — A downed electrical line is believed to have caused a fire that blackened about four acres of woodland in the Ringgold area of Pittsylvania County Thursday afternoon.

Ringgold Fire Chief Mike Neal says they got the call just after 3 p.m. and responded to Countryside Drive near its intersection Rock Springs Road, where firefighters found a large brush fire.

Whipped by high winds, the fire jumped both sides of Countryside Drive, threatening two homes and consuming three out buildings. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze with the assistance of the Virginia Department of Forestry, which used bulldozers to cut a fire line around the perimeter.

Volunteers from eight departments were on scene for more than five hours and were called back to the scene twice during the night to douse spot fires that had rekindled.

There were no injuries and firefighters were able to save both homes from damage.