Dry conditions — and some possible human carelessness — are to blame for several brush fires over the weekend.
Capital City Fire/Rescue was called to a brush fire near the Douglas Breeze In at about 3:45 p.m. Saturday, Assistant Fire Chief Tod Chambers said in a press release. Firefighters found a grass fire on the embankment that had been ignited by a campfire, Chambers said. The 40- by 80-foot fire was extinguished, he said.
On Sunday, firefighters were dispatched at 4:43 p.m. to a report of a column of smoke one mile south of the airport in the Mendenhall wetlands, said Assistant Fire Chief Ed Quinto.
“It was about a mile from the entrance to the Airport Dike Trail,” Quinto said. “The fire was about a half-acres with small active flames.”
The fire, which was in dry grass and brush, was on a small island surrounded by water with no buildings nearby; it was turned over to the U.S. Forest Service and was burning itself out, Quinto said. He did not have a cause for the fire.
Both Quinto and Chambers urged residents to be mindful of the dry conditions and use caution with campfires, since even the smallest spark can ignite dry fuel.
“Think small,” Quinto said.
Contact reporter Liz Kellar at 523-2246 or liz.kellar@juneauempire.com.
