Fire Department

Downtown firefighters were sent to the 600 block of E. Gorham Street after a neighbor reported an unattended fire in a backyard pit.
 
Engine 1 arrived to find a live fire inside a commercial fire pit. It had a lid on it, but there was nobody around to keep an eye on it. Furthermore, firefighters noticed the fire pit was only about 8 feet from the residence, not 15 feet or more as required by City ordinance.
 
Firefighters attempted to contact residents, but when nobody came to the door they put out the fire with a water extinguisher.
 
Just as firefighters extinguished the flames, the resident came home with a bag of takeout food. Engine 1 explained why they were there and why the fire had been extinguished.
 
The resident told firefighters he was only gone for ten or fifteen minutes. Firefighters explained the dangers of keeping a fire pit that close to the house, especially when it’s unattended.
 
The man was given a copy of the MFD’s Outdoor and Open Burning Guidelines for future reference.