Roanoke County firefighters said Thursday they have completely contained a brush fire on the U.S. 221 side of Poor Mountain.

The fire in Southwest Roanoke County off Ridgelea Road burned 45 to 50 acres but has been contained, according to a news release issued by Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department spokeswoman Jennifer Conley Sexton.

More than two dozen members of the county's fire and rescue department and the Virginia Department of Forestry were involved in the effort, Conley Sexton said. No homes were threatened by the fire.

She said a crew would remain at the scene Thursday night to make sure there is no debris or fuel for the fire within 50 feet of the containment lines. Fire personnel also planned to watch to ensure the fire did not reignite.

Fire investigators have determined that the fire started when leaves caught in the engine of a truck ignited on a private road. The driver saw the burning leaves and reversed his truck, then tried to extinguish the blaze but wind spread the flames up the mountain.

-- Neil Harvey