DNR and Park Rapids respond to fire near Two Inlets

A fire burned about an acre and a half in the woods a few miles southeast of Two Inlets Wednesday afternoon, May 3.

Park Rapids Area DNR forester Cory Kimball was the commander on the fire, which he said was called in around 1 p.m. and was in the area of County Roads 32 and 50 on 310th Street.

“Luckily, it didn’t burn too much and someone called to report it,” he said. “If it was any windier, it would have probably burned a lot more. We got there on time and were able to get it out pretty quickly. We were out there for about an hour and a half. We were using track vehicles and our pickup trucks for the fire suppression part of it. There were six of us from the DNR Park Rapids office out there.”

He said the fire was in the understory of the forest in the brush and ground layer. The cause is under investigation.

“It’s tough because the duff layer in the forest keeps smoldering,” he said. “The organic duff layer is the moss and leaves above the ground. That’s the hardest part. It takes a long time and a lot of water to mop up the fire.

“Before we take off from any fire we make sure to grid the fire. We all split up and walk through the fire area to make sure there’s no smoke and no reignition and everything’s out cold. We’ll check on it tomorrow also. We need rain to help keep some moisture in the ground level and to help things green up. Until then, we have two pagers we always carry and when they go off, we’re ready to go.”

The Park Rapids Fire Department was also on the scene with a crew of 16. Bob Meier is the second assistant chief with the department. He said they brought two brush trucks, two tenders and a UTV.

“We had some of our firefighters using portable water packs who walked in, while others used hoses from mobile vehicles on the leading edge of the fire,” he said.