By John Counts
Remember using a magnifying glass to start fires as a kid?
That was the same basic principle that started an 8-acre grass fire off Textile Road just north of the Ford Rawsonville plant Wednesday afternoon, according to Lt. Keith Harr of the Ypsilanti Township Fire Department.
The cause of the fire, according to Harr, was “magnification by busted glass.”
Firefighters were dispatched to the area off Textile Road in Ypsilanti Township at 2 p.m. When they arrived, there was about an acre of calf-high grass burning near the plant.
“At one point, it was a recreational field for workers at the plant,” Harr said about the area.
The fire began to spread.
“As the wind started blowing, there was no catching it,” Harr said.
The Augusta Township Fire Department dispatched two men and their grass truck, a vehicle specifically designed for exactly these types of situations. While a standard firetruck needs to be stationary to pump water, a grass truck can spray water while mobile.
The grass truck joined the two Ypsilanti Township trucks and the six firefighters from that department.
They had the blaze contained in a couple hours - but not before it could burn about 8 acres, Harr said.
No structures were damaged in the fire, and there were no reported injuries.