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08th Mar 2022

Homemade potato launcher sparks New York wildfire

Kieran Galpin

No lives were lost

A wildfire in the US was shockingly not caused by gender reveal parties but a homemade potato launcher that sparked damage across 40 acres.

On Saturday, Riley County Fire District teams worked to contain a grass fire that destroyed multiple acres of land, reports News Radio. The blaze is understood to have occurred near the 6400 block of North 52 Street in Riley County and luckily, no buildings caught fire – despite the blaze getting close.

Via Riley County Fire Department

Riley County Police Department assisted with traffic control on Tuttle Creek Boulevard as the fire had caused zero visibility along the busy road.

More than 20 volunteer firefighters from the Riley County Fire District #1 responded, along with a crew from the Manhattan Fire Department. Riley County Deputy Fire Chief John Martens confirmed late on Saturday that a homemade potato launcher started the fire.

The owner of the homemade weapon has not been revealed, nor has the method in which the gun started the blaze.

Updating people via Twitter, the Riley County PD released a statement on Twitter. They said: “Update 5:10 p.m.

“The fire has been put out and crews have cleared the scene.

“Please do not burn today and dispose of lit cigarettes properly. It continues to be very dangerous weather for fires, and the potential for them to spread and get out of hand quickly.”

The fire department also thanked their comrades for the assist, taking to Twitter once more to write: “We are grateful for help from @ManhattanFD and @RileyCountyPD that helped contain an outdoor fire on Saturday. Because of the quick response and aggressive firefighting, only 40 acres were burned, no structures were lost, and no injuries were reported. ”

Via Riley County Fire Department

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