Evansville Police Department extinguishes grass fire near Platte Park Rd. and Rio Vista

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Evansville Police and Fire Departments were recently dispatched to a grass fire.

That’s according to a social media post from the Evansville Police Department, which states that on Thursday evening, the EPD and the EFD were dispatched to a 911 call regarding a grass fire along Platte Park Rd. and Rio Vista.

According to the release, when EPD officers arrived, they found a small grass fire on the west side of the road. They used a fire extinguisher to “knock it down” until the fire unit arrived on scene.

“There were several citizens outside watching the fire when units arrived, and they stated there was a loud bang just before the fire started that sounded as a firework,” the release states. “Reminder — discharging fireworks in town limits are illegal, and with the dry grass its highly irresponsible.”

The release notes that strong wind gusts lifted the embers, causing spot fires away from the primary fire source. The release states that even brief gusts of wind increase wildfire risks. Wind speeds over 10+ miles an hour can cause fires to be high risk and dangerous.

“Thank you to the citizens that call the fire in which enabled a quick response to suppress the fire before spreading and bigger,” the fire states.