Another busy weekend for area fire departments has caused at least two burn bans in Door County.
The Washington Island Fire Department was the first to respond to a brush fire during the holiday weekend with a 12:30 p.m. call on Friday. Washington Island Fire Chief Pete Nehlsen said the landowner on West Little Lake Road had the proper permit, but high winds and dry conditions caused more than 10 acres to burn. It took 20 firefighters and five trucks to put out the fire. As a result, Nehlsen issued a burn ban on the island until further notice.
Southern Door Fire Department responded to two calls late in the afternoon in the Town of Nasewaupee on Friday, though neither required much assistance from firefighters according to Fire Chief Chuck Cihlar.
There was also another fire call in the Town of Sevastopol on County Highway T at 7:18 p.m., but no details have been shared as of Monday morning.
The Brussels-Union-Gardner Fire Department tended to the last fire call of the weekend on Saturday at around noon near Tru Way Road in the Town of Union. It was a grass fire that grew out of control, burning approximately three-quarters of an acre. Fire Chief Curt Vandertie issued a burn ban for Brussels, Union, and Gardner over the weekend, saying the conditions are just too dangerous.
Gibraltar and Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Departments have also tended to brush fires in the last week. Fire danger is rated as “very high” across the state according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Their data shows that 41 wildfires in the state have burned more than 491 acres.
