BROOKINGS – A ditch fire north of Brookings was sparked by a hot bearing, according to the Brookings Fire Department.
The fire was reported at 8:28 p.m. Tuesday and occurred on 470th Avenue, a quarter-mile south of 204th Street, according to the Brookings Fire Department’s Facebook page.
The fire was in a ditch next to a bean field, Fire Chief Pete Bolzer said.
Approximately a fifth of an acre of grass burned in the ditch, with none of the bean field affected, Bolzer said.
“Remnants of a hot bearing were found near the area of the fire’s origin,” according to the fire department’s Facebook page.
“It came off a vehicle, piece of equipment or something,” Bolzer said. “That’s just something that happens. It actually happens quite often.”
Two units were able to get the fire under control quickly.
“I think we were there like 25 minutes,” Bolzer said.
He’s hoping the burn ban that’s in effect will reduce the number of calls his firefighters go on by getting people to think before they set a fire that could be prevented, so firefighters can focus on accidental fires.
