Large tree debris pile burning at Tait Cummins Park

CEDAR RAPIDS — If you see a fire burning in the next few days at Tait Cummins Park in southwest Cedar Rapids, don't be alarmed.

It's a tree-debris pile burning, and the Cedar Rapids Fire Department is monitoring.

Firefighters were called to the park, in the 3000 block of C Street SW, at 1:51 a.m. Thursday, where a large pile of tree debris was engulfed in flames, prompting numerous calls to 911.

The pile of debris, from the Aug. 10 derecho, measured about 100-by-75 feet, the fire department said.

Crews wet down the edges of the fire to keep it from spreading, and the city planned to bring in heavy equipment Thursday to consolidate the burning material.

The fire, on the far west side of the Tait Cummins Sports Complex, is not threatening any structures or equipment, the department said.

Firefighters will continue to monitor the fire over the next few days, until it is burned out.

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