Small Marsh Fire In Muskego Began as Controlled Burn

A fire at the Badertscher Preserve in Muskego Monday afternoon began as a controlled burn by the city's Conservation department, according to authorities.

Crews were on the scene earlier in the day conducting a burn to clear out underbrush, however neighbors say they didn't control the burn enough, and the fire spread.

"I had been around when the city was here, but then they left," said homeowner Ron Borst, who lives in the area. "I called them when I saw that my burn pile had caught fire, and was told it was a controlled burn, but I told them this was beyond that."

Tom Zagar, Conservation Coordinator with the city, confirmed that the initial fires were planned, but said that ditches constructed to hold the fires in a certain area did not work.

No homes were in immediate danger, and no injuries resulted from the fire.

Borst estimated that about 20 acres of marshland burned before crews from the Tess Corners Fire Department put out the fire, which took only an hour to extinguish.

An official statement from the Tess Corners Fire Department has not been released. We will update this story when more details become available.