A fire caused by sparks from trash barrel burn damaged several thousand wooden pallets and spread into a wooded area at Good Hope Pallet Co. in Falkville Saturday afternoon.

Falkville Fire Chief Chris Free said his department responded to the fire at approximately 1:35 p.m. and needed help from surrounding volunteer fire departments to bring the blaze under control. Assistance was provided by firefighters and equipment from Ebenezer, Vinemont, Eva and Oak Ridge.

In addition to fighting the fire, firefighters had to relocate a large number of stored pallets to protect the main building.

“The fire damaged between 5,000 and 10,000 pallets and about 30 acres of woodland,” Free said. “It required about three hours to get the fire under control and the company kept a employee on site to guard against flare ups.” “This was a difficult fire to handle because there was so much combustible material on the ground,” Free stated. “The wind and low humidity added to the difficulty and a propane tank caused concern.

Free said the Alabama Department of Forestry was called on to deal with the woodland fire. .