Just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Douglas County Fire District No.2 was dispatched to a reported out-of-control burn pile on Karma Lane.

Initial reports were that the burn pile had spread up a small foothill, turning into a quarter-acre fire.

The first arriving fire crew in a brush unit found that the slow-burning fire had grown into a half-acre in heavy brush and blackberry bushes.

The initial crew quickly extinguished the fire with help from the property owner.

DCFD2 responded with one brush unit and one command vehicle with three personnel.

DCFD2 would like the community to use this situation as a reminder that drier weather is right around the corner and to be mindful while burning on their property. Conditions will dry quickly, and any amount of wind can help aid fire spread.

Always burn during daylight hours with the fire extinguished by dusk, have a readily available water source, and keep burn piles at least fifty feet away from any structures. Burn piles must be kept small to help with managing the fire. Lastly, never leave a burn pile unattended.