Volunteer fire fighters say home owners used a garden hose to extinguish most of a fire in the woods behind a Sandy Beach Road home Friday afternoon.
The fire department was called to the 400 block of Sandy Beach around 12:35 Friday afternoon. Volunteer spokesman Dave Berg said it appeared the blaze got out of control in an unattended burn barrel or burn pile.
“There’s a reminder now this time of year when our grasses are so dry and the wind can come up a little bit that people are clearing the area around a burn barrel, making sure that the area’s wetted down before you start a fire to make sure that it’s going to be contained,” Berg said.
Berg said burn barrels need screens over the top and home owners should register a burn pile through the borough’s website. He also says it’s good this blaze was spotted quickly.
“You know we appreciate the local home owners there coming to the rescue with some garden hoses in the area to knock it down,” he said. “But don’t rely on garden hoses, call the fire department right away. Call 911 and report the emergency. We certainly don’t mind coming out and mopping up if we need to. But at least we’re on the way if something gets out of control.”
It appears the fire damaged some nearby fishing gear.
Petersburg has had little precipitation this month but had rain in the forecast through the weekend.
