Fire crews respond to a controlled burn gone wrong in Washington City

ST. GEORGE — Around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Washington City Fire Department responded to a brush fire at 1200 E. Birken street in Washington. The fire was started when a controlled burn went awry and the fire expanded in a ravine behind some houses.

Fire crews respond to a controlled burn that went awry in Washington, Utah, May 5, 2020 | Photo by Ryne Williams, St. George News

“There was a company here that was contracted to do a little clean up in the backyard in a ravine,” Washington City Fire Captain Kelly Lang said. “They obtained a burn permit, started to do a controlled burn and it got away from them. It went up the hillside for a little bit.”

The fire burned less than three-quarters of an acre before crews from state forestry lands and Washington City fire were on scene. The flames were knocked down and under control within 10-15 minutes of the crews arriving.

There is some space and a block wall that separates the gully and the houses, which helped make sure there was no property damage to the surrounding homes.

The flames came about 30 feet from the structures, but the fire would have had to climb a block wall and through the backyards to get to the houses.

Fire crews respond to a controlled burn that went awry in Washington, Utah, May 5, 2020 | Photo by Ryne Williams, St. George News

“There were no houses that were threatened and no property damage, it was all out in the gully,” Kelly said.

Kelly said while it is very important to get a burn permit, the most important thing to have with you is a water supply.

“Of course, the burn season is going to close at the end of the month, but the important thing is if you have a burn permit, make sure you have a water supply with you, don’t leave it unattended and burn in small piles,” Kelly said. “Where this was at, it was at the bottom of a ravine so they were away from the wind, but they were next to a hillside. It caught the hillside and ran away from them. Had they had a good water supply down there with them it probably wouldn’t have happened.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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