HELMSBURG — Firefighters were busy battling a ground blaze that threatened two homes and a vehicle on Helmsburg Road Sunday afternoon.

The fire began after a resident lost control of brush fires at a home in the 4600 block of Helmsburg Road, said Chief Glenn Elmore with the Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Department.

“I wasn’t there when it started, but from what it looked like, and from different statements that the homeowner did make to different people, is that he was setting fires in different areas and it just got out of hand I guess for him and started spreading,” Elmore said.

Piles of brush, cut trees and trash burned in the fire. A nearby wooded area was also damaged. Elmore estimated a little more than two acres were burned.

The fire entered a nearby tree line, Elmore said. Jackson Township Fire worked to contain the fire to a circular area and also put out a fire threatening a nearby vehicle, Elmore said.

To make it more challenging, soft spots in the yard caused fire trucks to almost get stuck, Elmore said.

Brown County (Nashville) and Hamblen Township volunteer fire departments assisted. Crews were on the scene for around two hours, Elmore said.