A vegetation fire on the west side of Edmount Island Sunday was likely caused by a campfire, South County Fire said Monday.
The fire, reported shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday, burned in a 25-by-25-foot area of peat and other brush, South County Fire spokesperson Christie Veley said. Firefighters deployed two boats to reach the area and used a floating water pump to supply hose lines. Firefighters also used hand tools to cut vegetation and create a fire line.
No injuries were reported.
“Firefighters did see remnants of a possible campfire on the island,” Veley said via email Monday afternoon. “That is the likely cause of this fire.”
In July 2009, an illegal barbecue sparked a stubborn and smoky peat bog fire on Edmount Island, with hundreds of thousands of gallons of lake water used to fight the fire. Firefighters used helicopter air drops and hoses supplied by floating pumps to battle that 2009 blaze, which smouldered for days. Following that incident, the island was closed to the public.
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