A backyard brush fire blazes out of control and shows the risks of burning before the permitted season.

Firefighters responded to the blaze in the 2600 block of G Road around noon Saturday. Battalion Chief Tom Chapman said a man tried to burn excess brush in his yard when the wind picked up the fire.

"He wasn't out there the whole time that it was burning, and it got out of control," said Chapman.

Neighbor Floyd Onan was at home next door when the smoke began to rise.

"As the fire department was coming down I heard them, and I said ‘It's our backyard going!’ So we came out to see what it was going,” said Onan. "It was an accident. He was just burning a pile of brush."

It took crews about five minutes to extinguish the flames. Onan’s fence was damaged, but nothing else burned, and no one was injured.

"I'm sure glad nobody got hurt, and I don't think it's ruined a dime's worth of property," Onan said.

Chapman said this fire is a good reminder that people should not burn their brush before the season starts on March 1. It will last through May 31.

After getting a permit, people must then follow certain restrictions.

"Making sure that they're in attendance the whole time, making sure that they have the means to put out the fire -- a hose, a shovel, enough people to handle the situation-- and making sure they're not burning too close to any structures or fences or anything like that," Chapman said.

They are rules that Onan plans to follow when he burns his own brush.

"I just bought my permit about five days ago for $15,” said Onan. “I've lived here long enough. I know what the restrictions are because I use a permit quite often-- every year."

The Grand Junction fire department has permit applications on their website. You can find a link to it on our homepage when you click on “Quick Clicks.”