Close call with grass fire prompts neighbors to step up fire mitigation

After a grass fire near Pulpit Rock Sunday forced evacuations, neighbors vowed to step up fire mitigation efforts on their properties.

Calls about the fire started coming in around 12:45 p.m. While firefighters fought the flames, neighbors used their hoses to wet down the perimeters of their property. In total, flames scorched six acres. Firefighters evacuated nine homes close to the fire line.

Julian Sapien was on his way to Woodland Park when a friend told him he saw smoke coming from the land behind his home. Sapien raced home to see what could be done. His home is safe, but he said the fire was an “eye-opener.”

Despite recent snow, firefighters say grasses take only a few hours to dry out. It doesn’t take much for those grasses to start on fire.

David Turnupseed first noticed ash falling in his front yard. He walked into his backyard and saw a large plume of gray and white smoke.

“Within 10, 15 minutes it was coming over the top of the hill,” said Turnupseed.

While his property is mitigated, he’s worried about the land behind his home.

“It’s definitely a wake-up call that it needs to be abated,” said Turnupseed.

Firefighters will visit the burn scar every few hours to make sure nothing flares back up.