Fire Scorches 100 Acres Of Wet Marsh In Rural Beaver Dam

(Beaver Dam) As the Beaver Dam Fire Department was dealing with the aftermath of Saturday’s fatal fire, they were called to fire that burned around 100 acres of wet marsh. Crews responded to N6301 Wren Road at 11:09am Sunday and had the blaze contained by 2:30pm. The fire started as a controlled burn that got out of control. Fire Captain Paul Hartl says units arrived to find rapidly moving flames that were wind-driven through a tall grass marsh. There was limited access to the marsh due to wet conditions so fire personnel relocated to the opposite side of the marsh.  He says units would get the better of the fire, the wind would change course and 20-foot flames would take off in another direction. Flames threatened four nearby structures but Hartl says firefighters were able to “put a couple good stops on it.” Hartl says “overall, Mother Nature helped us more that it hurt us but it kept us running for sure.” Personnel remained on scene for another 90-minutes because they had some equipment stuck in the marsh. No injuries were reported. The property is owned by Randy Hupf.  The Beaver Dam Fire Department was assisted by Lowell, Reeseville, Juneau, Fall River, Columbus and Fox Lake fire departments.

 

 

Pictured Above: The view from across Beaver Dam Lake (photo by Jim Muenchow); Pictured Middle: Smoke from marsh fire visible from Dane County (photo by DailyDodge staff); Pictured Bottom: Google Maps