Wildfire — Bell, Kentucky

2016-10-29 · Bell, Kentucky

Event narrative

A volunteer firefighter was injured battling a brushfire in Bell County near Beverly. He suffered head and arm injuries when a tree limb fell and struck him along with the fire apparatus he was on. He later passed away on November 17, 2016 after being hospitalized at Pikeville Medical Center.

Wider weather episode

Abnormally dry conditions throughout the fall season led to an increase in brushfires by the end of October. One of these fires in Bell County, near Beverly, became large enough for volunteer fire departments to begin battling.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 661928. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.