Fair / 64° F
Bonfire rekindles, spreads near Hillcrest
Published 11:26am Wednesday, October 3, 2012Fergus Falls firefighters fought a small fire behind Hillcrest Lutheran Academy Wednesday afternoon after a fire pit rekindled due to high winds.
Some people associated with the school had had a bonfire in the fire pit the night before, Fergus Falls Fire Chief Mark Hovland said. The people had put out the fire, but firefighters were called to scene around noon Wednesday after the high winds restarted the fire, burning up some nearby grass, leaves and wood, as well as a couple of chairs set up around the fire pit.
There were no injuries or significant property damage, but Hovland said it is another reminder for people to be cautious around potentially flammable materials and situations, especially after a bone-dry September.
The fire was contained to an area behind the boys’ dorms up to the Otter Tail River bank. Firefighters were on scene for about an hour.
Fergus Falls and Otter Tail County remained in a red flag fire warning Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The Minnesota DNR listed the county’s fire risk conditions as extreme, although campfires are still allowed in the area.
People, wake up before you burn down the entire town. That means NOT tossing cigarettes out car windows, no fires of any kind until the drought is over, etc.