Debris fire ignites fairgrounds
<p>Plains-Paradise Rural Firefighters responded to a small but tenacious fire at the Sanders County Fairgrounds on Friday, July 5.</p>
PLAINS- A stubborn debris fire near the Sanders County Fairgrounds required multiple units and several techniques to extinguish the day after Fourth of July festivities on Friday evening. Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department and DNRC units responded to the fire around 7 p.m.
PPRFD was first to arrive on the scene and immediately began to douse the smoldering pile of debris with foam and water. The pile, consisting of tree stumps, hay, and pine needles among other materials, was about six feet high in places and about 15 feet in diameter.
As some firefighters attempted to put out hot spots with shovels and other tools, foam and water were sprayed in generous amounts in an effort to extinguish the smoldering pile. Firefighters on the scene assessed the situation and decided after further examination the fire was burning deeper within the pile and required a different approach.
DNRC firefighter Marlon Cooper said the fire was burning about five or six feet down within the pile and that water and foam alone were unlikely to smother it. Firefighters on the scene decided that excavation of the site was the only way to ensure the fire was extinguished.
The excavator proceeded to dig out layer after layer of smoldering material after which firefighters would spray water or foam to put it out. The effort continued until darkness began to set in at which point the effort was suspended.
Cooper said it was the opinion of those on site that the cause of the fire was not due to the fireworks of the previous night. Fireworks were originally suspected as a potential cause of the blaze.
According to PPRFD Incident Commander Brian Reed, these types of fires can be complicated to handle for firefighters. Reed said initially nine PPRFD and two DNRC firefighters responded to the fire.
Six small fires were reported over the holiday weekend around Plains. Four were due to the use of fireworks, one was caused by a tree branch falling on power lines and one was a rekindled fire within a debris pile near the fairgrounds.