VERNDALE — Three burn barrels started a grass fire Wednesday, June 9, just north of Verndale.
The Wadena County Sheriff’s Office was called at 11:56 a.m. to the grass fire in section 17 of Aldrich Township. Upon arrival, there appeared to be a large portion of the lawn to the north and east of the residence on fire. The Verndale Fire Department and the DNR foresters were on scene to extinguish the fire. Northeast of the residence were three burn barrels that were active and clearly the cause of the grass fire, the sheriff’s office reported. The grass fire spread north throughout the property and continued to the north of the fence line.
The property owner did admit to lighting the burn barrels not realizing it would spread. Firefighters battled the grass fire until 12:40 p.m. before it was extinguished.
