Fire on St. Anthony’s greenbelt began as ‘controlled burn’

There were no injuries or property damage in Wednesday evening’s fire. | Courtesy Fremont County Sheriff’s Office
ST. ANTHONY — Firefighters spent over four hours putting out a fire at St. Anthony’s greenbelt Wednesday night. It originated from a controlled burn.
The call came in around 5:30 p.m.
The fire started when a residents’ controlled burn “got away from them,” said Tim Miller, a Fremont County Fire dispatcher. The person had an appropriate burn permit, but conditions were “just right,” and the fire spread to the greenbelt.
“It was just one of those things,” Miller said.
On Wednesday morning, Fremont County Emergency Management posted on their Facebook page that “there have been six grass fires in Fremont County requiring a fire department response” in the past 24 hours. Five of these, it said, were controlled burns that “escaped” from the person overseeing them.

Three cars were burned in a fire in Fremont County this week. | Courtesy Fremont County Emergency Management
“Three cars and a trailer house were destroyed in two of the fires,” said the post. One fire on Tuesday evening sent a person to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Burn Unit.
However, no property damage was reported from Wednesday night’s fire, according to Miller, and there were no injuries, either.
The volunteer fire department was on the scene until almost 10 p.m.
Fremont County Emergency Management would like to remind people to “burn safely.”
“Be careful,” Fremont County’s Emergency Management Director Keith Richey said. “Even though we’ve recently had some snow, it’s dry out there.”
The Emergency Management team also reminds residents to take the following steps before lighting a fire:

Remember, you MUST notify the local fire district BEFORE you plan on burning.
Check the weather forecast, don’t burn when winds are expected.
Don’t try to burn alone, have someone with you to help.
Wear pants (not shorts), closed shoes (not flops or Crocs), long sleeve shirt and gloves to protect you from potential burns.
Have a water source (water hose/nozzle) and hand tools ready BEFORE lighting a fire.
Keep the fire small and manageable.
Maintain at least a 10-foot area free of combustible materials around the burn area.
Never leave a fire unattended, even when burning ditches/fences.
If a fire you started escapes and burns another’s property, you are responsible for all damages.

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Source: eastidahonews.com