Maple syrup boiling starts grass fire in Stearns County, Minnesota

(FOX 9) - A person boiling maple syrup started a grass fire Saturday in central Minnesota, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities reported that at about 12:41 p.m., dispatch was notified of a grass fire in the 20100 block of County Road 156 in Albany Township. The caller stated that the pasture behind the address was on fire and that it was moving quickly towards neighboring houses. The Albany Fire Department and Avon Fire Department were dispatched to the scene to contain the fire.

According to officials, it was determined that the homeowner had started the fire in a firepit while in the process of cooking maple syrup. Due to the wind at the time of incident, the neighboring field and swamp caught fire and she was unable to extinguish it with a water hose.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire to prevent any damage to nearby homes. The homeowner was issued a citation for burning during the burning ban, which was put in place March 31 for much of Minnesota.