Shawville-Clarendon Fire Department chief Lee Laframboise is warning people to be prepared when burning brush this spring so the fire doesn’t get out of control.

He said 16 firefighters responded to a call on Clarendon’s Ninth Line on Sunday afternoon, after a fire someone had set to burn some yard brush had spread into the neighbouring field and was getting close to the house.

“It got away,” he said, adding that the firefighters quickly got to work putting out the fire, which they hosed down before it spread too far.

Laframboise added that this kind of thing is common this time of year when people begin to burn brush, as dry conditions combined with high winds can make fires grow and spread quickly.

Laframboise said calls like these aren’t uncommon this time of year, as the department gives out open-air fire permits that are valid until the end of April.

“People are trying to burn up little bits of brush they don’t want around,” he said, adding that although there may still be snow on the ground, the conditions are getting drier even if they don’t appear that way.

“They’re going to laugh at you, ‘What do you mean it’s getting dry?’ But where the sun has access to the ground all day, she’s dry.”

Laframboise offered a warning to residents burning brush, emphasizing it is important to be prepared with ways to keep the fire under control.

“When you’re starting to burn your brush, have a plan if it is dry around it, whether it’s pails of water or a hose, stuff like that,” he said. “Be prepared, this stuff comes up when you least expect it.”