Free access: Fire at Royal Oak charcoal kiln in Ellsinore triggers multiple departments, evacuations

A fire at the Royal Oak Enterprises charcoal kiln in Ellsinore has triggered evacuations, and multiple fire departments are on the scene.

Jessica Woodard, Carter County dispatcher, said the Ellsinore, Hunter, Grandin and Van Buren fire departments are on the scene and described the kiln fire "out of hand."

"It started more than two hours ago. I don't have a specific time in front of me to be able to tell you that, and I don't know how it started," she added. This statement was made shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday.

At 7:41 p.m., Ellsinore Fire Chief Chris Owens stated, "It is still not under control. Evacuating nearby houses."

Those with family who work at the plant or have family in the area are scared

"My son-in-law probably lives about between two to three miles from the plant," one person said. At around 6:20 p.m., "He said the sheriff's department had been by and said that they needed to be prepared to evacuate."

The resident added she noticed the smoke on her way home and passed a fire truck. She later texted a family member who works there and they confirmed there was "a pretty good-sized fire." Since she hadn't heard from the person in the hours since, she believed he and other employees were assisting firefighters, possibly by moving fuel sources out of the fire's way.

"They have (wooden) slabs that they put in the kiln to make the coal," she explained. "And so their yard is full of some green and some dry slabs...and there's forest all around the backside of it."

Royal Oak's last fire was in 1999. Those who remember the fire said the blaze was "huge" and lasted for days.

Ellsinore had a previous fire earlier Wednesday at a sawmill.

This is a developing story.

Updated 8:12 p.m. March 19.