Grass fire burns 5 acres in Sanders Co.

Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District responded Saturday to the first grass fire of the season.

A homeowner on Marsh Lane was unable to contain their small lawn cleanup project. The weather conditions were ideal for their weekend burn project with low to no winds predicted.

The fire department was dispatched to the grass fire at 1:50 p.m. Saturday, with 12 volunteer firefighters, one fire engine and four wildland fire engines.

The fire was quickly extinguished with only about five acres being affected. Firefighters continued to wet down the perimeter of the burn making sure all fire activity was out.

With the fire completely out, Assistant Fire Chief Brian Reed held an incident review with all volunteers that responded, thanking them for a quick response time and communications between responders.

Newly appointed Lieutenant Sonya Black and Plains Council member Garrett Boon were two of the volunteer firefighters who responded.

In Sanders County, online burn permits are available for outdoor burning from May 1 to Sept 30 annually. Permits expire each year but can be renewed starting April 1 for the May September burn season.

Permits can be restricted based on fire danger potential by local fire authorities. Permits can be obtained at: https://app.egovmt.com/ burnpermit/.

When performing an outdoor burn project, it is important to follow several rules.

Have fire extinguishing materials close at hand, including a reliable water supply, shovels and rakes. Be prepared to extinguish the fire if winds pick up. Use common sense. Don’t wait for the fire department to contact you to saying that it has become unsafe to burn. Most open burning gets out of control during a sudden wind change.

If a fire gets out of control, call the fire department immediately.

People conducting illegal burning, or who allow a fire to get out of control, may be held liable for the costs of extinguishing the fire.