Boise firefighters were called to two grass fires Sunday afternoon, including one near the World Center for Birds of Prey that came within about 5 feet of a house.
"They weren't even aware that they had a fire. I had to ring the door bell a couple times and knock on the door," Boise Fire Battalion Chief J.D. Ellis said of a grass fire near Hollilynn Drive and South Cole Road. The fire was reported at 4:28 p.m.
Ellis said the fire — believed to have been started by a spark from a burn barrel on the property — was pushed up a hillside by strong winds. The fire burned 2 to 3 acres of grass, and caused some damage to a trailer.
"They weren't monitoring the burn barrel at all," Ellis said.
Wind rose to 20 mph after 1 p.m., with gusts of up to 30 mph, according National Weather Service. Gusty winds continued until about sunset. The high temperature Sunday was 45.
Earlier Sunday, winds in the Foothills pushed a small fire away from homes, said Battalion Chief Tom Pawek. At 2:40 p.m., hikers reported a grass fire burning off trails #20 and #27, above Mountain Cove Road.
The fire burned a 75-foot by 75-foot area. Pawek said there were many people in the Foothills Sunday afternoon, and the fire was likely human-caused — though it's unclear how.
"My guess is a match, a cigarette, a firework — but there were no remnants of any of those things," Pawek said. There was also no evidence of a camp fire, as early reports indicated.
