A large grass fire in Sarnia prompted a shelter in place alert on Wednesday afternoon.
The blaze broke out early in the afternoon, just southeast of Goodwill Industries at 1323 Michigan Ave. near the Howard Watson Nature Trail.
As a result, residents in the area of Cherry Blossom Crt., Remington Crt., and Bloomfield Dr. were asked to shelter in place to avoid inhaling thick smoke.
The alert was in effect for about 40 minutes before being lifted.
Fire crews worked through the afternoon to extinguish the blaze.
Sarnia Fire and Rescue Life Safety Educator Mike Otis says it appears the fire was intentionally set.
"It was a makeshift firepit out in the trees, and from there it looked like it got out of control and was wind-driven across the entire clearing there," says Otis.
"It was a huge grass fire, a lot of firefighters attended. It spread in multiple directions aided by the wind and the firefighters spread out and got it under control.
The fire service is reminding residents of just how fast fire can get out of control especially in dry conditions.
