The Crookston Fire Department responded to a call just after 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 4, for a grass fire near County Road 46 south of Highway 2 in section 8 of Kertsonville Township. The fire was threatening some structures nearby and moving at a rapid pace. The cause of the fire was a bearing going out on a baler.
CFD Chief Tim Froeber explained the process of ceasing the fire and the help needed in doing so. “In route, we noticed an awful lot of smoke, and with the wind conditions, we decided it was best to notify the Fertile Fire Department for backup,” said Froeber. “Fish & Wildlife dispatched the DNR to our location, and we got on scene with the main focus to protect the nearby structures and start putting out the main fire itself.”
Crookston Fire Department had 17 firefighters on the scene, while Fertile had 12, and the Glacial Ridge with a Hot Shot crew from Wyoming that was in the area provided 20. A house to the north of the fire was also in the area, and the Department kept a close eye on making sure the fire didn’t end up in the yard.
Froeber talked about the impact the Hot Shot crew had and how air support was almost needed at one point. “Fish and Wildlife provided 20 smokejumpers that were in the area,” said Froeber. “They were able to take care of some Hay Bails that caught on fire and a wooded area as well. At one point, we thought the fire might continue to Highway 2 from our location, but thankfully the fire was slowed down by some wheat stubble, and we were able to take care of the fire.”
The department was on the scene for approximately three hours, and the situation could’ve been much worse had not the Fertile Fire Department and Hot Shot crew been available to help.
Froeber talked about the importance of continuing safe practices in this dry time of the year. “It doesn’t take much to get things to burn right now,” said Froeber. “We could really use some rain, but we can not stress enough that people keep a mowed buffer area around their property, and hopefully, people can heed warnings.”
No one was injured during the fire, and no property structures were damaged. 121 acres in total were burned.
