Emergency personnel in northern Door County responded to a pair of grass fires on Saturday as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued elevated danger warnings.

Mild conditions, low relative humidity values, and gusty southerly winds caused much of the state including Door and Kewaunee counties to be in the very high fire danger category. Vilas County in northern Wisconsin is the only county to not be in the high or very high fire danger category due to the conditions. At approximately 1 p.m., Gibraltar Police, Gibraltar Fire and Rescue, and the Door County Sheriff’s Department responded to a small pasture fire off of Spring Road near Fish Creek.

Gibraltar Fire Chief Andy Bertges says the fire grew bigger than what the homeowners expected, prompting them to call the authorities. He says people should not burn right now if they can help it, but if they need to, they should take the proper precautions.

Approximately a half-hour later, emergency personnel responded to a fire on Washington Island near Jackson Harbor Road. According to a post by Washington Island Police Officer Gary Schultz, they were joined by Door County EMS and the Ephraim Fire Department tend to the fire that is suspected to have started by a cigarette thrown from a car. Bertges reminds people looking to start a fire that a burn permit is required by most municipalities.