Bay City Police Department was sent to an ordinance violation, illegal burning at 2908 Pershing, at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 3.
Prior to arrival, dispatch received additional calls indicating the fire had caught the back yard on fire and was growing in size. The Bay City Fire Department was dispatched. Included in the property that burned was an old fiberglass boat, causing thick black smoke to be seen several blocks away, Fire Marshal Dan Shook said.
The fire was deeply seated, so it took the fire department just over an hour to fully extinguish the fire, he added.
In addition to the boat, a section of wood fencing along with vegetation and old piles of miscellaneous household goods burned.
The fire did not damage the house, Shook said.
No one was injured during the fire.
The only person at the residence at the time of the fire was inside.
The sole occupant was notified of the fire by neighbors who had called 9-1-1.
Shook said the investigation identified that a makeshift burning container was being used.
Although the fire code allows for burning inside a container, the fire must be always attended with a means to immediately extinguish the fire if it burns out of control, the fire marshal saide.
This fire was not attended, allowing the strong winds to blow burning embers onto nearby combustibles.
Shook reminds Bay City residents that burning in a container must be attended to at all times.
Along with attending to the fire, ensure that a water hose or fire extinguisher is nearby to immediately extinguish the fire if it gets extends beyond the container, he added.
A citation can be issued to a resident who does not properly attend to a contained fire, Shook said. Open burning without a container is not allowed without a permit issued by the fire marshal.
