A grass fire in downtown Trenton Tuesday afternoon has been deemed suspicious by emergency responders.
Const. Ken MacDonald with the New Glasgow Regional Police said, after speaking with members of the Trenton Fire Department who attended the fire at 66 Main St., Trenton, Tuesday around 3 p.m., police are now asking for the public’s assistance in determining the cause of the fire.
Grass, old railway ties and some garbage were among the debris in a fire quickly brought under control by firefighters, but they did have to return later in the afternoon to the same area for short time.
Fire departments in the country were called to several such blazes.
Trenton Fire Chief Wayne Allain said at the fire scene that this was the second call for a grass fire that his department received in the last few days. The first one came in on the weekend, but his department was unable to locate it.
Allain said the Town of Trenton has a ban against any grass fires. Province-wide burn restrictions are currently in place that allow burns from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m., but individual municipal bylaws should be consulted before any burning takes place.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, spring grass burning does not control weeds or improve a new grass crop. The department says weeds deposit their seeds into the surrounding soil the previous fall. Burning creates an ideal bare soil bed for the seeds to germinate. With grass, burning actually reduces grass yield by 50-70 per cent. The department also states that new grass will be the same colour whether burning takes place or not.
MacDonald said grass fires can get out of control and cause harm to nearby properties.
Anyone with information about Tuesday’s grass fire on Main Street, Trenton, is asked to contact the New Glasgow Regional Police at 902-752-1945 or should a person wish to remain anonymous, you can also contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit tips by Secure Web Tips at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca. Calls to Crime Stoppers are not taped or traced and if police make an arrest and lay charges based on a tip, callers qualify for a cash award.
