By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
NORTH KINGSVILLE — A grass fire along the Lake Erie shore early Wednesday afternoon scorched a large chunk of Lake Road property and damaged a storage shed, firefighters said.
Personnel and equipment from four fire departments teamed to douse the blaze, said North Kingsville Fire Chief Brian Lehtonen. “They did a great job,” he said.
The fire began near the intersection of Lake Road and Cushman Drive, Lehtonen said. Cause of the fire is unknown, he said.
In a short period of time, the burning brush enveloped a small storage building on nearby property, Lehtonen said. “It went from a grass fire to a shed fire,” he said.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene shortly before 1 p.m., Lehtonen said. Called to assist were units from Kingsville and Ashtabula townships and Conneaut fire departments, Lehtonen said.
Nearly two dozen firefighters sprayed some 4,000 gallons of water to contain the blaze, Lehtonen said. “We put a good hit on it,” he said.
An estimated 1 1/2 acres were charred by the fire, Lehtonen said. “Quite a bit of land was burned,” he said.
Thanks in part to dry weather, grass-fed fires have been a common occurrence in recent days. A Wednesday blaze was reported in Monroe Township, while a fire was squelched in Orwell on Tuesday, according to reports.
