“I came back here to throw away some trash and realized the woods were on fire,” said Barrack.

After finding the burn pile unattended and flames spreading to the nearby brush, he reacted quickly and alerted his employer.

The Kilmarnock Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD) was on site within 10 minutes. A brush truck also was called in from the White Stone Volunteer Fire Department.

Wind carrying embers from the nearby burn pile was the likely source of the blaze, said Randy Kellum of the KVFD.

Under the supervision of the fire department, a backhoe from a nearby construction site was used to knock over a burning tree. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 2:30 p.m.