Updated: Brooklyn Park Grass Fire Brings Aid from Maple Grove, Area Agencies

Updated April 5, 2012

A day after a grass fire destroyed about 50 acres of swamp area in Brooklyn Park, law enforcement officials have reportedly arrested three juvenile males, according to a Channel 12 report. The juveniles have been released, according to the report, pending further investigation.

Read more about the grass fire in the original article below. 

Original article April 4, 2012, information updated April 5 to include additional details about involvement by the . 

Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove firefighters, along with several agencies around the metro area, responded to a grass fire Wednesday near County Road 81 between Brooklyn Boulevard and 73rd Avenue in Brooklyn Park. 

Brooklyn Park Fire Chief Ken Prillaman said the report of the fire came in about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. The fire moved rapidly across the swampland area, edging up near the railroad tracks along southeast County Road 81/Bottineau Boulevard. No injuries were reported and no businesses in the area were evacuated, Prillaman said. Southbound County Road 81 was shut down temporarily around 1 p.m. 

It took about five hours to put out the fire, which destoyed about 50 acres of land. Prillaman said the Brooklyn Park Fire Department left the scene at around 2:30 p.m. and investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire. The Department of Natural Resources remained on the scene to monitor potential hot spots.

Firefighters from 13 departments responded to help the Brooklyn Park Fire Department including the , Anoka/Champlin, Osseo, Brooklyn Center, West Metro, Plymouth, Robbinsdale, Rogers, Golden Valley and Dayton Fire Departments along with the Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota State Patrol with air support.

The Maple Grove Fire Department had two stations respond to the mutual aid call,  station #1 at 68th and Hemlock with an engine and station #3 at 98th and Zachary with 4x4 brush fire unit and a tanker along with an assistant chief. According to Maple Grove Fire Chief Scott Anderson, about 10 firefighters were sent to assist in Brooklyn Park with 10 people "standing by" at stations #1 and #3.