Syracuse firefighters investigated the cause of a wildfire that burned four to five acres of a retention basin on the city's southwest side Tuesday evening.
Calls started coming in just before 7 p.m. about a fire and a large column of smoke near Grand Avenue and Velasko Road. The fire department reported that dry conditions, high winds, and an abundance of shrubs, trees, and reeds fueled the flames, causing the fire to spread rapidly.
Blowing embers ignited a tree hundreds of feet away, but firefighters quickly extinguished it. Crews had the fire under control within two hours. No homes were damaged, and no injuries were reported.