UPDATE 1 (7:49 p.m. eastern on Sept. 2, 2026): A small rainstorm has moved through the Mount Olive community as firefighters continue battling the active fire on Fanny’s Loop.
Additional manpower has been requested, and the Alabama Forestry Commission is now on scene assisting crews with establishing a fire break to help prevent further spread.
Drivers are urged to use caution in the area as emergency crews continue working.
Original report: Numerous emergency agencies are on the scene of an active fire Wednesday evening in the Mount Olive community of Russell County.
The fire is reported near the intersection of Fanny’s Loop and Alabama Highway 165 around 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 2, 2026.
Fire crews from the Fort Mitchell, Mount Olive, Uchee Creek and Crawford volunteer fire departments are responding, along with Care Ambulance and the Phenix City Police Department.
According to eyewitnesses who were among the first people to arrive at the scene, they attempted to establish a fire break around the flames before fire crews arrived. The eyewitnesses reportedly suffered minor scrapes but are OK.
One eyewitness told CNAW2News that an abandoned double-wide mobile home was fully engulfed in flames, with the fire also spreading through surrounding brush.
CNAW2News crews at the scene observed nearby residents using garden hoses in an effort to prevent the fire from spreading onto their properties.
A heavy plume of black smoke from the fire could be seen from approximately a mile away.
The extent of the damage and the cause of the fire have not been released.
Drivers traveling through the area are urged to use caution as emergency crews and equipment remain on scene.
This is a developing story.