Fire Department

On location, Engine 10 arrived on location and could see smoke coming from behind a 6' wood panel fence. Three to four kids (approximately 10-13 years of age) began to run from behind the fence. E10's Company Officer told them to stay put. Only one boy complied. The others ran, jumped over a fence to the west, and fled. The actual location of the incident is behind the multiple stall garage that goes with 1619 Troy Drive. There is an 8-foot wide space that runs behind the garage and there is a wood panel fence on the north boundary. In this 8-foot wide space, some kids have a "hangout" with a couch and 8-inch wide wood planks laid down for "flooring." In the grassy area directly between the back of the garage and the fence, they had constructed a 2' by 2' concrete block fire pit dug into the ground with a grate over the top of it. They "skinned" the bark from a tree and were burning it in the fire pit. The wet bark was burning very smoky, causing a neighbor to make a complaint. The fire was extinguished with about one third of a 2 1/2 gallon water can. The 13-year-old boy was taken home by the Madison Police. A fire investigator was contacted.