NEWS ABOUT SAN JUAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT NO. 3
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Firefighters battle brush blazes
on SJI's east and west sides
posted 07/13/00
Two days after firefighters attended a refresher class on protecting structures in wildland fires, the volunteers were putting their knowledge to work, simultaneously fighting brush fires on opposite sides of San Juan Island.
About 40 firefighters fought the fires. "It pretty much wiped us out. we certainly couldn't have handled a third one," said San Juan Fire District No. 3 Chief Bill McLaughlin.
The first fire started about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 12 along Kanaka Bay Road. when a hot muffler from a weed trimmer ignited grass, said McLaughlin. The fire burned about 1.5 acres and was close to two houses before being contained by firefighters and a neighbor who used a Bobcat to clear a firebreak.
While firefighters battled that westside fire, another was reported on the east side at Mineral Point. The fire, which burned within 15 feet of a trailer, apparently rekindled from a weekend campfire.
The first was contained by 5:30 p.m. but the other, in a less accessible area, took until 7 p.m.
