Fire Chief George Esbensen says it’s never “just” a grass fire.

For example, the first grass fire of the season Saturday near Flying Cloud Airport involved 48 firefighters, two engines and four “grass rigs.”

Esbensen estimated the cost to fight the five-acre fire at more than $1,000. He suspected it was set by a juvenile.

“That’s typically the case,” he said. “They light a small fire and then they dash.”

Esbensen wrote on his blog that “most grass fires are set or are due to careless burning of brush or trash.”

Luckily, no one was hurt and it did not involve any property.

Luckily, no firefighters were hurt.

“It’s serious business,” Esbensen said, “that puts our people and civilians at risk … plus uses resources on that event that are not available if something else happens.

“Someone might be having a true emergency that wasn’t perpetrated by an arsonist so that’s an issue,” he said. “We have plenty of equipment … but obviously we’d prefer not to have our people out chasing around malicious fire setters.”

There is a statewide burning ban now because of dry conditions. Recreational fires are OK, Esbensen said, as long as you follow the guidelines for recreational fires posted on the city’s Web site, www.edenprairie.org.

“Be mindful even if you’re having a rec fire,” Esbensen said. “During grass fire season, small fires can get big.”

He reminded residents, “Call us right away when they even think things are getting out of hand.

“A lot of our big house fires start off small and – because people sometimes try to battle them before they call us, then that time is wasted when we could be responding.”

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For more information on recreational fire safety, click here.