By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — Last Sunday afternoon, Paul and Crystal Stinson and their son Grayden were out of town, seeing the stage play “Ring of Fire” in Outlook.

Had they been at their home near Craik, they would have witnessed another ring of fire altogether.

A grass fire broke out northeast of town on the afternoon of Feb. 28, torching upwards of half an acre of grass before it was stopped by the local volunteer fire department.

No injuries were reported, nor was there any damage to the Stinsons’ home, or any of the other houses on the east side of Arm Lake.

Fire chief Boyd Sanden said he received the call at 3:54 p.m. on Sunday, adding that his crew subdued the fire in about 45 minutes. Including perimeter checks, the fire department was on the scene for roughly an hour.

He said a resident had started a fire in a small pit near one of the houses, when a strong wind picked up some burning papers and carried them over to the grass.

“When it hit that tall grass, it just took off,” said Sanden, estimating that well over half an acre of grass was burned. Some trees on the edge of the dam suffered minor damage as well.

Sanden said some residents offered their assistance, and that together they were able to work from opposite ends in fighting the fire, eventually meeting in the middle.

Rather than running hundreds of feet worth of hose from their trucks, Sanden said his crew used a combination of shovels and high-powered leafblowers to gradually conquer the flames.

He said the latter tools can be highly useful in putting out certain fires, depending on how the fires are being fuelled. He likened it to blowing out the candles on a birthday cake.

For the full story, please see the March 7, 2016 edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe, email: davidsonleader@sasktel.net