Asbury Cemetery Fire
WFIE Channel 14 Evansville Ind.
Sept 17 1999.
Picture of damage cemetery available at this website.
http://www.msnbc.com/local/wfie/153749.asp
The brush fire scorched more than 600-acres and tore
right through Asbury Cemetery. Now that the smoke has
cleared, you can see that the damage is fairly minimal. The
fire left behind some smoke darkened stones and no
vegetation. Its mainly the older markers, made of limestone
that are damaged.
Charlie Scherer works at Majestic Memorials. He
explained, The limestone is porous and it will take the
smoke quicker than your polish. Theres a reason for it,
And the heat may have cracked some of them too.
Theres also a reason some of the markers are virtually
untouched. Even some of the flowers remain. Its a process
done to make mowing the lawn easier that also saved the
stones from the flames.
On some of the stones they have what we call slab, a
concrete slab. It comes out so they can cut the grass, so
grass doesnt grow right up against it. Thats the reason the
fire didnt touch some of them. It stopped right there at the
concrete is what it done, Scherer explained.
There is hope. Scherer says the charred vegetation will
grow back naturally. As for sandblasting and cleaning the
stones that need it, that will take time.
Probably to clean the whole cemetery youre looking at
a couple months at least to do it properly, he said.
It will also take money.
Scherer said, Probably several thousand dollars youre
looking at.
Six years ago, vandals wrecked the Asbury Cemetery.
The community pulled together to volunteer time and
materials to fix it. It will take the same effort to get the
cemetery back to normal this time.
Dry conditions have forced Indiana Governor Frank
OBannon to impose an emergency ban on open burning in
38 Hoosier counties to help cut down on the fire danger.
These counties include all of southwestern Indiana.
With the ban, no campfires are allowed. Brush, leaf, and
trash fires are also forbidden. Smokers shouldnt flick ashes
or cigarettes out of car windows.
Violators of this executive order could face a $500 dollar
fine and up to 50 days in jail.
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