Around this time of year, first responders have been used to receiving an influx of calls for tobacco barn fires.
As the tobacco harvest has gotten into full swing, people may see smoke coming out of the top of barns.
"Tobacco curing, it's an art really," Tanner Pritchett said.
Pritchett works at the Robertson Cheatham Farmers Co-op.
"When it becomes limber it breaks less, and that means you get more product in the end," said Pritchett said. "And that's what every farmer wants."
In Robertson County, barns have been full of hanging tobacco leaves.
"You put slabs down, and that's the first step of the process, it's hardwood slabs," Pritchett said. "And that's what essentially burns under the sawdust that really provides the heat."
A majority of farmers in Robertson County sell their tobacco crop to snuff or chewing tobacco companies.
This process can cause trouble for firefighters.
"A stalk can fall and lean against the side of the barn, and when it leans against the side of the barn, the fire just starts right there," Pritchett said.
According to Smokey Barn News, crews were dispatched to put out a barn fire on Monday near Roy Pitt Road. That was the second one in the last week.
"When you see a barn burning, you don't catch it until you see flames," Pritchett said.
So as a passerby, how do you know if tobacco is curing or if it's an actual fire?
"The smoke color I would say is a good sign," Pritchett said. "The tip of a barn, it's a white, grey smoke color, if it starts to catch on fire, I've seen a few turn black."
Farmers have asked that people don't call 911 unless they see an actual fire.
"Typically a fire will burn for a week, so when they lay the slabs down and the sawdust on top, it smolders that long," Pritchett said.
Tobacco could be curing through December. It takes four to six weeks process in the barn.
Pritchett said they've even made memes (see below) to let people know not to call 911 unless they see an actual fire.
