With the exposed dry dead grass everywhere and the high winds this last weekend, the high fire danger was evident in Door County with two fire calls Saturday afternoon. First, shortly after 1:00 pm, there was a grass fire in the pasture area of a coral on Spring Road near Fish Creek. The homeowner was testing how dry the grass was and attempted lighting a small portion of the pasture. The fire quickly grew beyond the owner’s comfort and he called 9-1-1. Gibraltar Fire Chief Andy Bertges reports they responded with 3 trucks and had assistance from the Door County Sheriff’s Department and Emergency Services, and the fire was extinguished with about 300 gallons of water. Fire Chief Bertges also commented how if the owner had inquired for a burn permit he would’ve been alerted that they were not allowing burning that day. Then just before 1:30 pm Saturday, there was a grass fire reported on Washington Island. This was on the side of Jackson Harbor Road just west of Mountain Road. Island Fire Chief Pete Nehlsen said with Saturday’s high winds there was significant potential danger for property loss, but they were able to stop the fire before it got near any buildings. With the already very dry and windy conditions, Fire Chief Nehlsen said he can only assume it might’ve been a cigarette butt tossed from a passing vehicle. With 7 trucks and approximately 20 personnel, they extinguished the fire in under 90 minutes. Their thermal imaging showed the fire was extinguished, yet with dry windy conditions still a half-hour later the fire rekindled. Thankfully, they left 1 truck behind for that exact possibility, and the fire was extinguished quickly.
