The Farmington Fire Department responded to a brush fire in the arroyo west of South Lake Street west of San Juan Regional Medical Center about 12:58 p.m. Thursday.
Fire Chief Robert Sterrett stated that “this is kind of a problem area. This fall, we've had a number of small fires in here, mostly related to homeless camps.” He said the “heavily wooded area makes it easy to conceal yourself, and the downside is that it’s drying up and we haven’t had a lot of moisture.”
If people light a warming fire at night and nobody reports it, a light breeze can easily spread the fire, Sterrett said, adding that they’ve had a number of small fires in the area since last fall.
About 1:30 p.m., a ladder truck below the area and an engine and crew with water hoses worked to contain and extinguish the fire about 50 yards below Lake Street. Sterrett said another engine and brush truck were expected to arrive soon.
He said it would be an extended operation and take several hours to fully extinguish the fire. “There will be smoke in the air for three or four hours,” he said.
Ten firefighters were on the scene at about 1:30 p.m.
