Eureka Fire Protection District officials responded to a brush fire on Monday evening, Feb. 12, near Lone Elk Park in Valley Park.
Deputy Chief William Stamberger said the fire swept over 5 to 10 acres of forest near the back of the park.
“It’s kind of an isolated area,” he said. “It was very difficult to access. There was no easy way into it and the roads are not super close to it.”
Stamberger said firefighters had to walk or use UTVs to get to where the fire was centered. Crews arrived on the scene at 7:15 p.m., Stamberger said, and the last crew left at 10:45 p.m.
He said no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was unknown, but not considered suspicious.
“It’s unknown what the reason is, whether it’s natural causes or unauthorized camping,” Stamberger said. “We don’t believe that we have somebody running around setting fires, either. There wasn’t anything that they could identify as the cause.”
He said the fire only impacted forest undergrowth. No manmade structures or large trees were affected.
“That leaf litter that’s burned up in the undergrowth actually helps the forest remain healthy,” Stamberger said. “It’s actually not a bad thing when it comes to that, as long as those wildland fires don’t encroach upon manmade structures, on civilization.”
He said a resident who lives near the park called 911 about the brush fire.
“It was called in by somebody in the north that overlooks the valley, and they could see it from a residence, from a distance,” Stamberger said. “They’re the ones that called 911 and gave the location of their house and the approximate location of where they were looking at that fire.”