The Park Ridge Fire Department is again reminding residents to properly dispose of hot ashes following a fire outside a home Sunday afternoon.
Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen said a plastic container in the yard of a home the 500 block of North Washington Avenue caught fire after ashes from a fire pit that had not yet cooled were placed inside around 1 p.m.
The fire department was called at 2:47 p.m., but the resident and a neighbor were able to put out most of the fire using extinguishers prior to the arrival of crews, Sorensen said.
A fence sustained damage, and the fire had begun to approach a propane grill, the fire department said.
“Fortunately it didn’t become a larger problem,” Sorensen said.
But fires caused by improperly disposed ashes from fire pits and fire places are becoming a “common” problem in Park Ridge, the fire chief said.
Sorensen said residents should allow ashes and coals to cool for at least two to three days before disposal. And, when they are disposed, they should be placed in a metal container, rather than a plastic one, with water added to ensure they are no longer flammable, according to the fire department.
Also on Sunday, the Park Ridge Fire Department responded to a coolant leak at the Oakton Ice Arena, 2800 W. Oakton St., resulting in an evacuation of the facility, Sorensen said.
There were no reports of the leak having an effect on users of the arena, which later reopened, the fire chief said.
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