A fire that raced away from a man burning leaves in the Rockridge neighborhood Friday was stopped short of leaping into adjacent Bureau of Land Management property.
“About one-half acre burned, but it was the potential for disaster that made it dangerous,” said Fire Marshal Karola Hanks from Durango Fire & Rescue Authority. “Had the fire gotten into BLM land where there’s heavy oak and underbrush, it would have been serious.”
The man, who used a cigarette lighter to touch off the leaves behind a house at the end of Clovis Drive, was cited by Durango police for violating the city’s open burning ordinance, Hanks said.
“He was open about it,” Hanks said. “He didn’t try to hide the fact.”
The house is owned by Bobby Estes, but he was not the man burning leaves, Hanks said. She didn’t identify the man but said he will have to appear in court.
But the violation was too serious to ignore, Hanks said. Needless to say, any similar violation will result in a citation, she said.
“We have to get people’s attention. You can have a fire to cook hot dogs or hamburgers,” Hanks said. “But open burning isn’t permitted.”
Lingering drought, general dryness and strong winds add to the potential for disaster, Hanks said. Brush or leaves should be hauled away, chipped or mulched, she said.
Firefighters were paged at 12:48 p.m. One engine and a brush truck responded because the agency was answering a number of calls at the same time, Hanks said.
daler@durangoherald.com
