A barrel fire started a grass fire Monday that spread to a shed in the 5000 block of County Road 501, north of Bayfield. The barrel fire was started even though there is a burn ban in effect in La Plata County.Courtesy of Upper Pine River Fire Protection District
A citation was issued Monday to a La Plata County resident who burned trash in a barrel during a countywide fire ban, according to the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District.
The burn barrel spewed hot ashes that were swept away by the wind, which caught dry grass on fire and spread to a 15-foot by 15-foot shed, said Deputy Chief Roy Vreeland.
The shed was destroyed, and a nearby recreational vehicle sustained heat damage, he said.
“We’re not taking it lightly this year with the conditions that we have,” he said.
The fire was reported around the lunch hour Monday in the 5000 block of County Road 501, north of Bayfield and about a mile south of the Forest Lakes subdivision.
La Plata County enacted a Stage 1 fire ban May 1, which prohibits open burning, burn barrels and campfires in undeveloped areas, among other activities.
Upper Pine Fire Chief Bruce Evans said the warm temperatures, dry conditions and high winds Monday were “probably one of the most unideal times” to try burning trash.
“We have a county burn ban in place, and people need to understand we don’t make those decisions lightly,” Evans said. “The decision to go into burn bans is designed to protect the public.”
Vreeland said the shed and the RV are not owned by the person who was doing the burning, which means the fire starter could be liable for damages.
The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office cites individuals for violating the fire ban.
A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office did not return a phone call Monday afternoon seeking comment.
The fire restrictions prohibit open burning, burn barrels and agricultural burning on private property in the unincorporated private land areas of La Plata County.
The use of a campfire, coal or wood-burning stove, any type of charcoal grill or open fire in any undeveloped area is prohibited.
The fire restrictions do not include charcoal fires in suitable containers or gas grills for barbecues at private residences or fires within designated campground pits with protective grates; however, residents and visitors must not leave these fires unattended and must carefully and fully extinguish them after use.
The open flame prohibitions also include the following:
Smoking is limited to vehicles, buildings, developed recreational areas and 3-foot-wide areas cleared of vegetation.
Fireworks are prohibited.
Use of explosive material is prohibited.
Use of any internal combustion engine is prohibited unless it is equipped with an approved and functioning spark-arresting device.
Welding and cutting operations must be conducted with a 20-foot radius safe zone free of vegetation with a 2.5-gallon pressurized fire extinguisher or 5-pound ABC extinguisher or pressurized water supply and proper hand tools on-site with a fire-watch individual standing by continuously.
Flaring for production wells may be allowed with approval from the designated fire chief.
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