First grass fire of the year burns 321 acres

First grass fire of the year burns 321 acres
By Chad Koenen

The first grass fire of the year packed a powerful punch for area firefighters on Tuesday afternoon. Encompassing much of the land near County Road 13 and Glacial Lakes State Park, firefighters from the Starbuck and Glenwood Fire Departments were on the scene for more than 3 1/2 hours on Tuesday afternoon.

While smoke from the fire could be seen towering over the fields, there were no reports of structural damage to buildings or any injuries as a result of the fire.

Forestry Technician Ernie Schmitt said the large fire in south central Pope County burned approximately 321 acres of land, "which is kind of unusual at this time of year." Part of the blame for the large scope of Tuesday's fire is an unseasonably high amount of dry grass in the area. While much of the fire burned private grassland, Schmitt said there were some trees that may have been damaged in the fire, however the exact extent of the tree damage is not known at this time.

Starbuck Assistant Fire Chief Mike Moen said firefighters were dispatched around 12 p.m. on Tuesday, and did not return to the fire hall until approximately 3:45 p.m. Moen said the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

In order to help prevent future grass fires, Starbuck Fire Chief Todd Johnshoy said it is important to remember to secure a burning permit prior to starting a fire and to use some extra caution when burning materials, especially while the grass is still brown.

"Until we get our green grass coming back, you are going to have to be pretty careful," he said.

Even after securing a permit, Schmitt suggested that individuals make sure there is at least a five foot area clear of vegetation around the fire and that the fire is completely out after they are done burning.

In addition to the Starbuck and Glenwood Fire Departments, members of the DNR Forestry Department, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Departments in Morris and Big Stone responded to Tuesday's fire.

Burn restrictions

for Pope County

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently announced that Pope County, along with 20 other counties across the state, will be placed under burning restrictions. The restrictions will go into effect on Monday, April 5, at 8 a.m.

According to a release from the Minnesota DNR, the restrictions are put into place each spring to rescue the occurrence of wildfires, which can damage homes and other personal property.

In addition to Pope County, counties with burning restrictions will include: Becker, Beltrami, Carlton, Clearwater, Cook, Douglas, Grant, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Ottertail, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, Stevens, and St Louis. Twenty-five other counties began burning restrictions on March 29 due to the extremely fast snow melt that occurred throughout much of central Minnesota.

The restrictions will remain in place until the increased threat of wildfires decreases.

Despite the burning restrictions, campfires are still allowed and never require a burning permit provided it is kept to 3 feet in diameter, 3 feet tall, and is attended at all times.

This is truly sad to have 321 acres of land burned because of someone's neglect... I hope they find out who started this fire and give them the heaviest sentence possible. Keep us updated on this if possible. Thanks for posting, Mike!~!