Peterborough Fire and Rescue responded to a call about a brush fire on Cheney Avenue Monday afternoon, fueled by dry and windy conditions. 

“The call came in just after 4 p.m.,” said Peterborough Fire and Rescue Chief Ed Walker Tuesday.

The fire spread eastward from a burn pile in the back yard of a Cheney Avenue home, helped along by winds out of the west over an exposed patch of land. A passerby who declined to give his name expressed surprise at the sight, noting that the weekend’s snow would seemingly have made the spread unlikely. Walker addressed this matter Tuesday. 

“Although the ground is wet, the surface fuels -- the grasses on top -- dried out quickly, allowing the fire to spread,” said Walker.

The flames ultimately scorched a patch of approximately 200 feet by 200 feet before being doused by the responding crews. Walker added that although the resident had a burn permit, two requirements were not met.

“A permit is for burning between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m., in part because there will be more moisture on the ground then, and this fire was outside that window. The biggest thing is that if you’re going to burn, you have to have some means of control -- water via a hose and buckets and a rake or shovel,” he said.

Asked about the consequences of conducting a burn outside the rules of the permit, Walker said that he issued a warning to the property owner, and that the fire warden would be the one to impose any fines in the case of a subsequent violation. 

The fire was extinguished in under an hour without the need for mutual aid.