Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Fire season arrives early

Blaze in brush north of Ketchum bypasses homes


By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Photos courtesy Ketchum Fire Department Ketchum Fire Department volunteer Rebecca Rusch, front, and KFD Engineer/Paramedic Ed Binnie work to contain a small brush fire north of Ketchum Saturday afternoon. Fire fighters are warning that summer fire conditions are arriving early this year, and people should use caution with cigarettes and camp fires. Photo by Willy Cook

Several homes north of Ketchum were spared Saturday, May 14, when Ketchum and Sun Valley fire fighters stopped an early-season brush fire 40 feet before it overtook the manicured properties.

The fire consumed approximately one acre of willows, grass and sagebrush before being squelched.

The fire occurred four miles north of Ketchum on the east side of state Highway 75, just south of the Glassford Heights subdivision.

With wind-fanned flames approaching 20 feet in height, Ketchum firefighter and paramedic Chris Stephens called for structure protection engines from the Sun Valley Fire Department. A total of 21 Ketchum firefighters and six Sun Valley firefighters contained the fire by 5:04 p.m., roughly an hour after the blaze was called in.

Approximately 10,000 gallons of water and 17 gallons of fire-fighting foam were used to douse the flames.

Due to predicted higher than normal temperatures and lower than normal precipitation for this summer, Ketchum Fire Chief Mike Elle has already banned open burning in the Ketchum Fire District and will not be issuing burn permits for the summer.

"It's May, normally damp and wet, and we are already responding to vegetation/wildland fires," said Assistant Chief Robbie Englehart.

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A cigarette butt thrown out of a passing car window possibly caused the fire, Elle said. A local homeowner working in the area reported seeing a man flick a cigarette out the window of a light-colored car shortly before the fire started.

Anyone with information on the vehicle or person who was possibly involved in starting the fire is asked to contact Elle at the Ketchum Fire Department.

Elle offered a few extra words of caution as the summer season approaches.

"Wildlands in our area are already very dry this year and, especially with the cottonwood seeds building up on the ground, fire danger is increasing dramatically," he said. "Please be extremely careful with any type of burning material, including cigarettes."




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