Once again, a fire to clear ditches on a local ranch blew out of control.
Tuesday’s blaze burned about 20 acres on County Road 526, said Deputy Chief Roy Vreeland of the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District. The landowner had a burn permit and was burning in the morning as requested, but winds picked up early in the day, and 35-mph gusts quickly sent the fire out of control. A spark or ember blew across the road, igniting a neighbor’s property.
“It’s contained now,” Vreeland said about 3 p.m. “We almost did not get it contained.” U.S. Forest Service firefighters also responded to help control the fire, he said. Wildland firefighters were in town for physicals, so they were deployed pretty quickly to the burn.
There are no burn bans in place, but the fire danger is rated high, according to the Upper Pine website.
Warm and dry weather is forecast for the rest of the week, with no chance of rain in sight until Friday or Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
More information on burn permits is available at upperpinefpd.org.
