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Planned fire gets out of control

Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey While burning brush west of New Ulm, Red Rasmussen accidently lit cattails in a slough nearby. Nobody was hurt in the fire.

NEW ULM — The New Ulm Fire Department was dispatched south west of New Ulm to stop an out-of-control slough fire.

While burning brush, Red Rasmussen, who owns property the fire was on and near, lost control of the blaze. The fire spread through cattails surrounding a pond.

The Fire Department was dispatched at 5:19 p.m. and had the fire under control within 30 to 45 minutes. Nobody was hurt and no buildings burned.

There had been a concern about the fire reaching a stand of trees near an abandoned farm house, but it was prevented it, Fire Chief Paul Macho said.

The threatened property has not be lived in since 2003, Mark Rasmussen, a nearby landowner said.

The property used to belong to Elroy “Mr. B” Backer and has a silo with a pumpkin prominently painted on it.

Now is the time of year just before plants begin to start growing again. So there is a lot of dried and dead plant matter that is easy to burn.

“Campfires are okay but you need to make sure that they are contained, and you always need to be there,” Macho said. “You have to make sure that somebody is always keeping an eye on it.”

Currently fire permits are required across the state. the Department of Natural Resources rates Brown county at moderately dangerous.

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