Burn pile ignites grass and camper
On Tuesday, April 7, at 6:06 p.m., the Wadena Fire Department responded to the 1800 block of U.S. Highway 71 South in the city of Wadena for a report of a grass fire that had caught a camper on fire. Upon the arrival of fire units on scene, firefighters observed a camper fully engulfed in flames and a slow-moving grass fire. Firefighters were able to extinguish the camper and running grass fire. There were no injuries as a result of this incident and the camper was a total loss. The fire was determined to have started from a garbage burn pile that ignited dry grass, which traveled to a nearby field and camper. Less than half an acre was burned. The Wadena Fire Department responded with nine apparatus trucks with 19 firefighters. Assisting on scene were the Wadena Police Department, Wadena County Sheriff’s Office, Verndale Police Department, and the MN DNR Fire Department.