Sunday, August 28, 2011

Flaming raccoon starts grass fire

Investigators say a raccoon caused a 10-acre grass fire in a Salt Lake City industrial area on Friday morning.

The fire started at about 4:40 a.m. near 1700 South and Frontage Road, which runs along State Route 201. Crews say the raccoon climbed up a power pole, touched the power line and caught fire. The raccoon then fell to the ground, catching the grass on fire. Crews say the fire was burning fast and threatened several businesses in the area.



Salt Lake City Fire Capt. Mark Bednarik says the fire burned about 10 acres. He also says crews are concerned over the next few weeks about red flag warning days. "They will issue red flag warning days and those are days where those conditions come together, low humidity, high temperatures and wind," said Bednarik.

"So we monitor for those and make sure our crews are aware whenever those are happening. Yes we are concerned, but we have crews on staff 24/7 around the clock and we just plan for the worst and go form there." Fire crews say there are no injuries or damages to homes in the area.

No comments: