MARC SASS
MARC SASS
Known as the Marcy Road Fire, a blaze on April 2, 2021, in Menomonee Falls created smoke that was visible throughout the Milwaukee metro area.
JOSHUA MORRIS
Last April, Marc Sass was behind the wheel of a fire engine, rushing toward a fast-moving wildland fire in Menomonee Falls. While on his way to the scene, he called for ground and aerial support. Sass is a DNR cooperative area specialist who assists with wildfires in southeastern Wisconsin. Having worked fires for nine years, he knows brush fires like these can burn up to 1,500 degrees and travel as swift as the wind, which means his team must be quicker.
MARC SASS
As the fire raged on, thick black smoke could be seen from across the Milwaukee metro area. A spark from a train on a nearby railroad track started the fire that would burn nearly 230 acres. Hours later, as the sun was setting and smoke continued to rise, the fire and its imminent danger were at the very least contained. It would be monitored for several days until completely put out. While the Menomonee Falls fire was the largest of the season, it was just one of the 1,086 wildfires that burned 2,582 acres in 2021.
The DNR maintains a full suite of fire suppression vehicles, equipment and tools, centrally located to improve response times to the department’s fire protection areas.
Spring 2022
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