Winds whip up field fires

   Members of the Clear Lake Fire Department battled two separate fires in the extremely windy conditions on Thursday, Sept. 29.  Despite the wind fire crews, also concerned with dry vegetation, managed to keep the fires from spreading and causing further damage.
     The first call, dispatched at 1:53 p.m., initially came in as a small grass fire in front of B20 Auto, north of Clear Lake.  Responding with one brush truck and one engine company, arriving crews found the fire had spread in the junked cars inside B20’s lot.

    Quickly realizing the potential threat to surrounding dry crop land, firefighters asked for assistance from the Ventura Protective Agency, Fertile, Hanlontown, and Manly fire departments.  Cerro Gordo County also dispatched sheriff deputies to assist at the scene.  Additional help from the mutual aid departments were set up to help supply water and manpower to battle the blaze inside the junked vehicles.  Due to the lack of hot embers in the air, a high steel panel fence and fast coordinating of efforts among the departments, crews kept the fire from spreading to a nearby standing cornfield. 
    Lieutenant Jim Finstad appreciated the help. -Read More Via e-Edition