Broken glass ignites grass fire that burns 8 acres near Ford Rawsonville plant
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.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Brad
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 9:25 p.m.
Anybody besides me skeptical of that explantion? I'm sure it's possible to start a fire that way, but it sure seems improbable. How did they arrive at that conclusion in the first place?
fishjamaica
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 7:07 a.m.
If broken glass is outlawed, only Outlaws will have broken glass...
Ann English
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 7:03 p.m.
Ever hear or read that Sand plus heat equals Glass? It happens without our getting involved. Lightning can turn sand into glass. A concave lens will spread light rays apart, so that shape of glass is safe. What THIS glass in the story did was bring light rays together, as convex lenses do.
Ann English
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 1:36 a.m.
"a recreational field for workers at the plant." I can just imagine those plant employees going to the field for some games, and breaking bottles out there after finishing whatever beverages they had contained, to avoid bringing empty bottles back to the plant and disposing of them in trash bins there, for the bins were nowhere close to where they worked. An accumulation of broken glass over decades, and now this happens. Littering that was easy to get away with, but the long-term consequences of this type of littering were unforeseen, all right. I don't want the story to end with this article alone; the cause of all that broken glass getting on the grass might be something different, even ON PURPOSE by an arsonist. To learn from this event, the method of how the glass got there has to be determined.
Ann English
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 6:58 p.m.
Bear, Now I'm hearing on a local radio station that it took just a little bit of broken glass to start the fire, such as from ONE broken bottle or jar. I know, we've gone for over a week without much, if any, rain. Conditions have been perfect for an unintentional fire.
Bear
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 9:10 a.m.
and that word should be "Sans", not "Sand". excuse the typo.
Bear
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 9:09 a.m.
Sheer conjecture and hearsay. Why don't you stick to the facts and quit trying to overanalyze something and blame workers decades after they've retired for something that could've been anybody's fault. Sand any evidence, (which I doubt you'll get) you are just engaging in endless gossip.
tracy
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 2:41 a.m.
When my family first moved out here..about 14 yrs ago-My SON told me one day as we drove by.."oh--thats where the Ford people go to drink",,heard that on the school bus. Yikes..
u812
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 1 a.m.
The drought of 2012 Continues.
Ann English
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 9:18 p.m.
If you mean "drought" literally, how true. Drought invites grass fires, whether or not ANY glass is involved with the cause.
obviouscomment
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 12:41 a.m.
So was this the grassy area across from the plant or next to it? I'm pretty sure there are a lot of trees next to the plant but there is a large vacant grassy area across from the plant. It would be helpful if information like this was included in the article...maybe like stating that it was on the West or East side of the plant, etc.
obviouscomment
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 1:35 p.m.
Either I'm blind or that was added after I read it because I really looked for that and read the article thoroughly.
tracy
Thu, May 24, 2012 : 2:39 a.m.
it did say NORTH of the plant.....