VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Dry weather and strong wind gusts pushed a fire through the former Signature Golf Course in Virginia Beach Tuesday.
Tall, dry weeds and grass have now consumed the course that closed a few years ago. It left for a perfect combination with the dry air and gusty winds for a brush fire, according to Virginia Beach fire officials.
"From the street, it looked like flames were shooting 14, 15 feet up in the air," said Carol Konze, who lives nearby.
Konze said the fire came close to her friend's home, where he took his hose out and sprayed as much land as he could reach to prevent the fire from reaching his home. She said he was getting nervous because it was getting close to his house.
After nearly 20 years of living behind this course, she said she's never seen a risk like this enter her own backyard.
"It was frightening. It was," said Konze. "But fortunately, the fire department apparently did a very good job."
Virginia Beach Fire Marshal Lorna Trent said no one got hurt in the fire, but it took only minutes for it to spread 20 to 25 yards quickly, thanks to the strong wind gusts.
She said crews took extra measures to prevent it from reaching nearby homes.
"We utilized our drone when it was less windy to get that aerial view to see where it was spreading to get a good knock on it quickly," said Trent.
Trent said fires like these are an important reminder of the dangers one small spark can pose.
"Make sure you're properly discarding your smoking materials in a bin that's not plastic. If you do have a fireplace, douse those ashes with water and don't store them outside your house, on your deck, or in your plastic trash can. Just use some good common sense. Don't burn on days like today," said Trent. "Again, your action could be the start of something. So, pay closer attention to your smoking materials and what you are doing with your ashes."
While the Signature Golf Course is closed, the clubhouse still works as a restaurant. Trent said the fire did not reach any homes or businesses thanks to their work.
Trent said she and her team are still investigating to determine what caused the fire. It's unclear how long the investigation will take.