TIFTON — Several cars parked in an empty lot for the Rhythm & Ribs festival were caught in a brush fire Saturday.

The Tifton Fire Department responded to a 911 call made around 3:22 p.m. reporting a fire that had started in a private lot located at the corner of Sixth Street and Tift Avenue, which at the time was being used for parking by patrons of the local festival just down the road.

Fire Chief Bobby Bennett reported that the incident was started by a vehicle parked in the lot that was surrounded by tall, dead grass. He noted that a Red Flag Warning had been issued at a state level, prohibiting any burning activity due to low humidity and high winds, which likely contributed to the quick spread of the fire.

Due to their close proximity within the lot, the fuel tanks of several vehicles parked in the area had been ignited by the fire, which, combined with the plastics and rubber of the cars being consumed by the blaze, made extinguishing the flames very difficult.

Foam was applied to all vehicles involved in the fire, putting it out in around 40 minutes. Bennett reported that fire investigators had been called in once the incident had been resolved, but the close proximity of the vehicles involved and the damage they had sustained had made it impossible to determine which had been responsible for the fire.

“It was very unfortunate to happen and our department did everything they could to limit the amount of vehicles involved,” Bennett said. “Due to their fast response and hard work, we were able to limit the damage.”

No injuries have been reported as a result of the incident.

City Police Chief Steve Hyman urged residents to take advantage of public street parking in the future to avoid similar situations.