Fire Department

It’s not known what started the fire that damaged a dozen trees in a residential backyard Thursday.

Firefighters were called to the 600 block of Wheeler Road where they found a large pile of firewood fully involved in flames. The fire had already spread to adjacent trees and ground leaves.

Engine Company 10 stretched the bumper line from the front of their engine and applied a combination of water and foam to put out the fire, removing logs from the pile one by one to ensure they were fully extinguished. They further doused any nearby trees, leaves, and a compost bin which were still warm to the touch.

Six or seven large arbor vitae suffered significant damage, and another six or seven arbor vitae were mildly damaged. A nearby ash tree sustained heat and fire damage on one side of its trunk.

Firefighters were able to notify the homeowner by telephone of what happened in his backyard, and he promptly returned home to assess the damages. He and his neighbors were unable to pinpoint any activities that day that could have ignited this fire.

Over the course of their conversation, the homeowner mentioned to Engine 10 that he's careful to maintain his lawn through natural and organic methods, and he was concerned about the foam used on his trees and lawn. With respect to his concerns, firefighters fully flushed all of the trees and adjacent lawn with water to wash away any remnants of foam. They also offered the homeowner more information on the product they used so he could research its ingredients.

The man expressed his gratitude to firefighters for taking this extra step. With that, Engine 10 advised the residents to call back if there were any other concerns or signs of rekindling.