Fire contained to brush pile at Shoaff Park debris drop-off site

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - An early morning fire sent flames and smoke shooting into the sky in Shoaff Park.

The Fort Wayne Fire Department was called out to the park around 3:32 a.m. Saturday.  When crews arrived on scene, flames and smoke were coming from the storm debris collection site.  The drop-off area was in place temporarily for residents to leave branches and limbs that were damaged in recent severe weather.

Fire crews were initially worried the fire would spread to a nearby forest area but firefighters quickly contained the fire just to the brush.  Fire officials told NewsChannel 15 the fire was the size of 100 feet by 75 feet.

Crews got the fire under control in about 40 minutes but continued to monitor the situation through the morning for any hot spots.

The Parks Department and Street Department helped by providing heavy loaders to move the brush pile around so firefighters could find any hot spots or flames.

No one was injured in the fire.

The cause remains under investigation.

Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation closed the drop-off site after the fire.  It was already scheduled to shut down on Sunday.