Burning down the house—almost

Fire pit burn gets out of control in Mt. Vernon, claims garage, damages homes
There was no stopping a fully involved structure fire at 626 E. Cherry St., that broke out in Mt. Vernon the afternoon of Saturday, April 12, which resulted in the total loss of a detached garage. Mt. Vernon Fire Chief Brad DeLay, shown right in a defensive attack trying to protect the house, said the property owner had been burning limbs in a small portable fire pit in front of the garage and had left the fire unattended for a few minutes only to return to the unexpected blaze.
DeLay also reported that the garage and its contents were a total loss. There was minor damage to the residence and a neighbor’s garage. There were fortunately no injuries associated with the fire.
The un-prescribed burn was eventually extinguished with mutual aid from Freistatt Fire Protection District and Stotts City Fire Protection District.