UPDATE: Fort Morgan brush fire 90% contained, Alabama Forestry Commission says

UPDATE (8:17 p.m.): According to Benji Elmore with the Alabama Forestry Commission, the fire is 90% contained.

AFC has two dozen crews on the scene attempting to get firebreaks installed to protect structures in The Rookery.

UPDATE (6:36 p.m.): Fort Morgan Volunteer Fire Chief Lee Steiner told News 5 that roughly 150 acres of land have burned so far on Wednesday.

Steiner also said one lane of traffic has reopened to traffic.

Responding agencies include the Fort Morgan Fire Department, the Gulf Shores Fire Department, the Bon Secour Fire Department, the Alabama Forestry Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

UPDATE (4:40 p.m.): Deputies told News 5 that the fire has jumped the road and is now north and south of Fort Morgan Road near the Rookery neighborhood.

The blaze has affected area traffic.

A Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said Fort Morgan Road’s east and westbound lanes are closed to traffic.

And the fire has required some urgent lifestyle adjustments.

Gulf Shores Police and Baldwin County sheriff’s deputies are evacuating people living in some of the cottages at the Rookery.

UPDATE (3:40 p.m.): News 5 is continuing to gather information about a brush fire in Fort Morgan.

We spoke with a man who called 911 around 7 a.m. today. He said there was a storm with a lot of lightning, and after that, he saw a ton of smoke.

The fire department has been at the brush fire since 7:30 a.m.

Fort Morgan fire officials said lightning caused the fire. Officials thought they had the fire under control, but the wind shifted, and the flames are now threatening homes in the Rookery neighborhood.

First responders are working on a plan to prevent the fire from reaching homes. So far, there are no reported injuries.

Original Story

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Fort Morgan firefighters are working to control a brush fire after a Wednesday morning storm in the area.

Authorities said they received a call about the fire in the Navy Point area at around 7:25 this morning. The fire started after a storm passed through the area around 6 a.m., and officials believe lightning caused it.

News 5 received the following photo of the fire from a viewer.

In the photo, heavy smoke is visible behind a house. A firetruck responding to the fire is on a road in the background.

Officials told News 5 that crews had to walk through the brush to reach the fire’s site because cars could not pass through.

The fire was about 5 acres, and officials say it is currently under control for the most part.

This story is developing. WKRG News 5 will update it as more information becomes available.

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