Philomath Fire & Rescue extinguished a backyard burn gone bad on Friday afternoon at a Green Street residence.
Capt. Rich Saalsaa said a resident on the property was in the process of starting a fire to burn a pile of small branches. The individual used gasoline to ignite the burn but the gas can caught fire and it was flung onto bark dust, which then also caught fire, Saalsaa said.
Firefighters extinguished the fire before it could spread elsewhere. The person involved with the incident was not injured. Fire crews assisted the resident, who is elderly, by cutting up the branches into smaller pieces and helping get it piled up to burn away from a fence and other combustible materials.
“This is a good opportunity to remind people that they need to apply for a backyard burning permit, call into the burn information line … and be sure that they have a small pile, away from the house and fences — and cleared at least 3 feet around the burn pile of combustible material,” Saalsaa said.
The burn information line can be reached after 8 a.m. at 541-929-5903 to determine the burning hours.
“People should never use gasoline or other flammable liquids to ignite the fire — they should use small kindling and paper or cardboard to get the fire started,” Saalsaa added.